Mugabe leads in preliminary Zimbabwe vote tally

Robert Mugabe: His Patriotic Front party has been in power since Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain in 1980.

HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- President Robert Mugabe was ahead in preliminary presidential election returns Tuesday from 11 of 120 constituencies, all rural areas where he has made a strong showing in the past, according to Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede.

Final results were expected Wednesday, and Harare's police commissioner vowed tight security in the capital when the announcement comes.

About 3 million people were estimated to have voted in the controversial elections that ended Monday after a high court extended the voting into a third day. Some 6 million people were eligible to vote, but many were still standing in line Monday when the polls closed.

Mudede described the turnout as good and said the government accepts no blame if some people did not get to vote.

The main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) asked the court to extend the voting into Tuesday but was turned down. Many voting stations opened several hours late Monday after the government said it was adhering to the court order under protest.

The order applied to polling stations in the districts of Chitungwiza and Harare -- strongholds of the MDC.

VIDEO CNN's Charlayne Hunter-Gault reports a number of voters in urban areas are being held while the Zimbabwe ballot count continues (March 12) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Investec's John Clemmow assesses Zimbabwe's economic outlook if Robert Mugabe is re-elected as President. Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   MORE STORIES • Zimbabwe vote flawed -- observers  • Tsvangirai: Ready to take the reins?  • Mugabe: Africa's 'lasting connection'?  • White Zimbabweans accused of bribing voters    EXTRA INFORMATION In-Depth: Zimbabwe Election 2002    RESOURCES On the Scene: Zimbabwe's tense election  Gallery: Voting in Zimbabwe

Opposition party members accused Mugabe's government of trying to disfranchise their supporters. In some parts of Harare, riot police used tear gas to disperse angry crowds Monday who had yet to cast their votes.

Meanwhile, Welshman Ncube, the secretary-general of the MDC, was charged with treason in connection with what the government alleged to be an assassination plot against Mugabe, a judge in a Harare court said.

Ncube was arrested Monday in Plumtree, near the Botswana border, and detained for further questioning Tuesday, his attorney said. Ncube said he was released on bond and his passport conficated.

In the election, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai challenged Mugabe, who along with his Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) has ruled the country since it gained independence from Britain 22 years ago.

As vote counting began, some claimed the election was not conducted properly.

The team of observers sent by the 54-nation Commonwealth will report back to a three-nation task force of Australia, Nigeria and South Africa that has the power to suspend Zimbabwe from the organization if it finds the election was flawed.

Authorities in Australia called Tuesday for an honest vote count, saying the lead-up to the ballot had been neither "free nor fair."

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the Australian High Commission in Harare believed some Zimbabweans were denied the opportunity to vote despite the voting extension.

The Commonwealth deferred taking action against Zimbabwe before the election. But the European Union and United States have imposed targeted sanctions against Mugabe and other ZANU-PF leaders.

Mugabe, 78, has seen his popularity decline in recent years as unemployment and inflation soared, trends he blames on an alleged British-led Western conspiracy.

Tsvangirai, 50, said if he wins the election he will restore law and order, address a food shortage threatening nearly a third of the country's 13 million people, promote national reconciliation and consider setting up a government of national unity.