(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-04-02 23:03

HARARE - The main opposition party claimed outright victory Wednesday for its leader Morgan Tsvangirai, saying he had won 50.3 percent of the vote compared to 43.8 percent for President Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwe's opposition Secretary-General Tendai Biti of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) speaks at a media conference in the capital Harare April 2, 2008. [Agencies]

The ruling ZANU-PF party rejected the opposition's claims, saying that it would await the full results from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, which has not yet published the outcome of Saturday's presidential poll.

The state Herald newspaper, meanwhile, predicted a runoff in the first official admission that Zimbabwe's leader of 28 years has failed to win re-election. A presidential candidate needs at least 50 percent plus one vote to avoid a runoff.

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However, Movement for Democratic Change general secretary Tendai Biti said there was no need.

"We maintain that we have won the presidential election outright without the need for a run-off," Biti told a news conference.

Deputy Information Minister, Bright Matonga, said the opposition party was being "irresponsible" and "mischevious."

"They have got to be very careful with their activities," Matonga told the British Broadcasting Corp. "They think they can provoke ZANU-PF, and the police and the army."

The government had previously warned that premature announcement of election results by the Movement for Democratic Change would be tantamount to a coup attempt.

The commission has offered no results in the presidential race, saying Tuesday it still was receiving ballot boxes from the provinces. That raised questions about where those boxes have been since Saturday night, when some electoral officials slept on the ground to guard the votes.

Washington has indicated it believed the opposition had won. "It's clear the people of Zimbabwe have voted for change," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

The European Union said it wants Mugabe to step down.

At independence, Mugabe was hailed for his policies of racial reconciliation and development that brought education and health to millions who had been denied those services under colonial rule. Zimbabwe's economy thrived on exports of food, minerals and tobacco.