Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe was sworn in today after being declared the landslide winner of a widely condemned election which African observers said was scarred by violence and intimidation.
Mugabe (84), who has been in power since independence from Britain in 1980, was quickly sworn in for a new five-year term in a ceremony on the lawns of state house, complete with a military band, marching honour guard and the country's judges in red robes and wigs.
In his inaugural speech, Mr Mugabe said: "Once again we have shamed all our detractors."
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew a week ago saying a systematic campaign of violence, which killed nearly 90 of his followers, made a free and fair vote impossible.
The ballot was held in defiance of much world opinion.
The electoral commission said Mr Mugabe won 85.51 per cent of the vote compared to 43.2 per cent in elections in March won by Mr Tsvangirai with 47.9 per cent -- short of the absolute majority needed for a first-round victory.
The commission said turnout was 42.37 per cent, almost exactly the same as the March 29th vote.
The commission released the result of Friday's vote in less than 48 hours, compared to five weeks for the March poll.
"I therefore declare Robert Gabriel Mugabe to be the duly elected president of the Republic of Zimbabwe," said chief elections officer Lovemore Sekeramai.
Pan-African parliament observers, one of the few groups able to monitor the ballot, said it was so flawed it should be rerun.
"These elections were not free and fair," said Marwick Khumalo, head of the observer team.
He said monitors had recorded violence and intimidation across the country, including abductions and assaults which had led to some deaths. The observers said turnout was low.
Mr Mugabe (84) and in power since Zimbabwe's independence from Britain in 1980, was due to be sworn in for a new five-year term this afternoon in a ceremony at State House.
Mr Tsvangirai, who rejected Mr Mugabe's invitation to attend the swearing-in, dismissed it as meaningless.
He said he would ask African Union leaders meeting in Egypt on Monday not to recognise the re-election. Mugabe is due to attend the AU meeting.
Mugabe spokesman George Charamba said the invitation was "done in the spirit of the president's wish to reach out ... It is a major step towards political engagement".
But Mr Tsvangirai said: "I can't give support to an exercise I'm totally opposed to... the whole world has condemned it, the Zimbabwean people will not give this exercise legitimacy and support."
Mr Mugabe is under pressure from within Africa to enter talks with Mr Tsvangirai over the country's political and economic crisis. He went ahead with the vote despite widespread international dismissal of the election as a sham.
Mr Tsvangirai told Reuters news agency the opposition was committed to AU-sponsored talks with Mr Mugabe's government although no negotiations had started.
The United States has threatened to toughen sanctions on Zimbabwe and push for the UN Security Council to take measures against Mugabe's government.
Reacting to the formal declaration of Mr Mugabe, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said: "It is really now time for the international community to act strongly, but we are consulting about the measures that might be taken."
Dr Rice urged China and other powers to back strong steps against Zimbabwe, but China's foreign minister was non-committal on possible UN-authorised sanctions
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the Zimbabwean leader had "lost all his legitimacy as president".
"I would expect the Africa Union to take action at their meeting in Cairo [tomorrow]... There's got to be an end to the suffering of the population that Mugabe's arbitrary style of rule as brought to untold victims."
The state-controlled Sunday Mailreported this afternoon that Mr Mugabe told Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, leader of an African Union observer team, that he was open to talks suggested by Catholic bishops.
"The president agreed to the proposal, saying we will have those contacts. He said it must, however, be a meeting of our minds, not a meeting of other people's minds through us," an official source told the Mail.
Tomorrow's Egypt summit may be split between critics of Mr Mugabe, such as Kenya, and opponents of any action against him led by South African president Thabo Mbeki, who has been widely criticised for taking a soft line with his neighbour.