MDC national vice-chairperson Tendai Biti, who is on trial for allegedly violating the Electoral Act after he announced that his party leader Nelson Chamisa had won the July 30 presidential election, yesterday insisted that the youthful opposition politician had, indeed, won in nine provinces, whose poll tallies were posted at polling stations manned by their party agents.

Biti, who was put to his defence after his application for discharge was dismissed, told magistrate Gloria Takundwa that under normal circumstances, Chamisa would have been declared presidential election winner because, at the time, only Mashonaland West province had outstanding results.

He said he did not announce the results, but simply interpreted what the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission had officially posted outside its polling stations.

-Newsday