US, Aussies Bash Vote in Zimbabwe

The US and Australia are among western powers crying foul over Zimbabwe's election results, with John Kerry denouncing " substantial electoral irregularities" as having rendered a result that doesn't " represent a credible expression of the will of the Zimbabwean people," reports Reuters. Australia took it a step further today, adds the AP, with Foreign Minister Bob Carr calling for new elections and warning that it won't lift sanctions unless a fair vote is held. Zimbabwe declared yesterday that longtime President Robert Mugabe won re-election by a landslide; Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai accused the 89-year-old of having rigged the vote.

"Given our doubts about the results, Australia calls for a re-run of the elections based on a verified and agreed voters roll," Carr said in a statement, per the AFP. Barring a new vote, Carr said Australia won't lift sanctions on Zimbabwe, which include travel bans. But not everybody is crying foul: As al-Jazeera reports, South Africa's Jacob Zuma sent his "profound congratulations" to Mugabe today, calling on "all political parties in Zimbabwe to accept the outcome of the elections as election observers reported it to be an expression of the will of the people." (More Zimbabwe stories.)