Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and the Zimbabwe government both denied tonight that they were in talks to arrange the resignation of President Robert Mugabe.
"There is no discussion and this is just a speculative story," Mr Tsvangirai told a news conference.
Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga told the BBC: "There is no deal. There is no need for a deal...there are no negotiations whatsoever because we are waiting for the presidential results"
Asked about widespread media reports that a deal had been reached for Mr Mugabe to step down, Mr Tsvangirai said: "What deal? Let's not be influenced by speculation."
He added: "There is no way we would enter into any deal before the ZEC (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) announces a final result"
Mr Tsvangirai said he expected to win an absolute majority in the election, despite ruling ZANU-PF party and independent projections showing him beating Mr Mugabe but falling short of the required 51 per cent to avoid a runoff.
No official results have yet emerged on Saturday's poll.
The opposition charges that the delay veils attempts by Mr Mugabe to hang on to power by rigging the vote. Mr Mugabe, in power for 28 years, faced his most formidable challenge in the election, with both Mr Tsvangirai and third candidate Simba Makoni, a former finance minister, accusing him of reducing the population to misery by wrecking Zimbabwe's economy.
Mr Tsvangirai's has made major gains in rural areas traditionally loyal to President Mugabe, his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party said today.
"Morgan Tsvangirai is leading the presidential race in an election which has seen the MDC winning in most rural constituencies whose results we have confirmed so far," the party said in a statement on its website. It said Mr Tsvangirai had taken 95 per cent of rural constituencies whose results were known to the MDC.
According to a ruling ZANU-PF party projection, Mr Tsvangirai will beat Mr Mugabe, but be forced into a runoff vote in three weeks time. Two ZANU-PF party sources said today the projection showed Mr Tsvangirai falling short of the 51 per cent needed for outright victory.
Official results today showed ZANU-PF with a narrow lead of two seats in the parliamentary poll with 131 out of 210 constituencies declared. But a breakaway opposition party took another five seats.
A third government minister lost his seat and results showed the opposition MDC making some inroads into Mr Mugabe's traditional rural strongholds. The opposition is expected to unite behind one candidate if there is a runoff, which would be held three weeks after last Saturday's election.
A senior Western diplomat said a re-run was likely. "We can all speculate about what they (ZANU-PF) did or did not do. But when you look at some of the projections by other observers, such as ZESN, they are pointing to a re-run," he said. Zimbabweans are suffering the world's highest inflation of more than 100,000 per cent, food and fuel shortages, and an HIV/AIDS epidemic that has contributed to a steep decline in life expectancy.
The MDC says the unprecedented delay in issuing presidential results indicates Mr Mugabe is trying to stave off defeat by fraud. Electoral authorities said they were still collating and verifying returns.
"It is now clear that there is something fishy. The whole thing is suspicious and totally unacceptable," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said. Seven European countries and the United States called on Zimbabwe's Electoral Commission to quickly release the results. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown today called for their immediate publication, saying the democratic rights of Zimbabweans must be upheld.
"The eyes of the world ... will be upon Zimbabwe so that the doubts that people have and the questions people have can be answered," Mr Brown said. The United States urged Zimbabwe's electoral commission to stop delaying the release of election results and said President Mugabe must respect the outcome of the poll if the opposition won.
Agencies