President Robert Mugabe’s party is claiming a landslide victory after pledging ‘hell for gays’ if he was victorious.

In June the dictator said he would amend laws, if his Zanu PF party was re-elected, so LGBT ‘offenders’ would ‘rot in jail’ for life.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change, led by Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, has responded by saying the country’s elections have ben a ‘monumental fraud’, reports Sky News.

The official result is not due out yet and Zanu PF officials may have breached rules by claiming victory early.

It was the third time Tsvangirai had gone up against Mugabe, who has ruled the country for 33 years.

For the last four years the two have been in an uneasy power-sharing agreement.

And monitors at Zimbabwe Election Support Network highlighted ‘serious’ problems on polling days.

They say thousands of urban voters, who mostly favor the Movement for Democratic Change, had been turned away from polling stations. But only a small number of rural people, who tend to vote Zanu PF, had been prevented from voting.

During Zimbabwe’s annual independence celebrations in 1995 Mugabe famously proclaimed homosexuality ‘degrades human dignity’, ‘unnatural’ and ‘worse than dogs and pigs’.

In these elections, as he has tried to keep hold of his 33-year rule, he has continued to be outspoken.

In particular, he vowed gay marriage would never be accepted in Zimbabwe.

During a speech at a Roman Catholic Church-run Bondolfi Teachers’ College’s graduation ceremony he said: ‘After the polls, we will strengthen the law and make it really punitive and bitterly punishable for such people.

‘At the moment, they get something like three months’ imprisonment.

‘They should rot in jail… We want a nation guided by strong values, we cannot give up our values for money.’

And he appeared to conflate LGBT people with pedophiles who rape children.

In their election manifesto, Zanu PF brags they have managed to ‘block the evils of homosexuality by criminalizing same-sex marriage’ in the new constitution.

‘Zanu PF ensured… Zimbabwe will never be a colony again but which also protect the values and dignity of the people against such evils as homosexuality,’ it says.

Later, the manifesto argues everyone must join ‘Team Zanu PF’ as they have ‘defended Zimbabwe’s traditional and religious values against such evils as homosexuality in the New Constitution.’

Tsvangirai meanwhile has remained silent on LGBT issues, sparking interest and concern from LGBT voters.

Veteran gay and human rights activist Peter Tatchell, who famously attempted a citizen’s arrest on Mugabe, told GSN there was a danger the country would descend into chaos as people may not be prepared to accept a result after a campaign of intimdation and fraud by Zanu PF.

He said: ‘The result must be in serious doubt given that Mugabe’s regime controls the election commission and the voting roll.

‘The Zimbabwe Election Support Network reported there were about 750,000 urban voters who were not on the register. And 63 constituencies had more registered voters than inhabitants – mostly in rural areas where Mugabe’s support is stronger.

‘During the campaign Mugabe mad a serious of violent threats against the LGBT community. This may have been mostly election rhetoric but we know he has an intense homophobic fixation. Who knows what he might do if he gets back into power.’