U.S. urges Zimbabwe to count votes properly

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Xinhua) --- The United States said Monday the Zimbabwean election commission should count every vote cast in the weekend election in order "to honor the will of the Zimbabwean people."

"We strongly encourage the Zimbabwe election commission to do the right thing to honor the will of the Zimbabwean people and to make sure that only the votes cast are counted, and that every one of them that was cast is counted," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said.

Zimbabwe Election Commission Chairman Justice George Chiweshe said Sunday that the results of the joint presidential, parliament and local government elections would be announced on Monday.

Zimbabweans cast votes on Saturday to elect president, parliamentarians and local councilors. This was the first time that the three elections are combined in a single day in the southern African country.

The incumbent 84-year-old President Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, is seeking a sixth term in the presidential election.