Bindura, a rural mining and agricultural center, is home to the feared youth brigade of Mugabe’s ruling party—tens of thousands of thugs known for beating up opposition supporters.

“The people’s victory is on course, beyond a shadow of a doubt,” Biti said Saturday night. “We have absolutely no doubt that we are winning this election.”

The elections presented Mugabe with the toughest challenge ever to his 28-year rule. Voting was generally peaceful, with Zimbabweans standing in lines for hours, but African observers questioned thousands of names on the official roll.

The 84-year-old Mugabe, in power nearly three decades, dismissed rigging charges. “I cannot sleep with a clear conscience if there is any cheating,” he said on Saturday after voting and promising to respect results. “If you lose an election and are rejected by the people, it is time to leave politics.”

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairman, Judge George Chiweshe, said, “ We will be releasing the results as soon as we can,” he said. But election observers who visited the commission’s headquarters early on Sunday said it appeared to have only a skeleton staff and appeared in no rush to release results.