The MDC says Mugabe wants to declare an emergency so he can stay in power

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) accused the ruling Zanu-PF on Tuesday of unleashing attacks and trying to provoke a backlash so that it could declare a state of emergency to prolong Mugabe's 28-year reign as president.
 
It called on neighbouring African states to intervene to prevent bloodshed.

"I say to my brothers and sisters across the continent – don't wait for dead bodies in the streets of Harare," Tendai Biti, the MDC secretary-general, said.

The opposition warning comes amid growing frustration over the delay in releasing the official results of the country's elections that ended 10 days ago.

The hearing in a Harare court of an opposition request calling for the immediate release of the results has entered its fourth day, with no end in sight.

'Buying time'

The MDC said Mugabe, 84, was trying to buy time to prepare for a run-off against Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader whom the party claims won the presidential poll outright.

Zimbabwe's election law requires a presidential run-off to be held three weeks after official results are announced if there is no winner with a sufficient majority.

The winner requires 50 per cent to win the polls outright and Tsvangirai's party says he won 50.3 per cent of the vote.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, speaking in the US, said Mugabe could still redeem himself by stepping down as president to ease post-election tensions.

"In a way we need to hang our heads in shame," he said. "I never imagined a day would come when I would have to excoriate him."

The South African Nobel peace laureate added that international peacekeeping troops may be needed to restore order in Zimbabwe.

In another legal case complicating the election stalemate, police said at least five poll officials around the country were due to be charged with undercounting votes cast for Mugabe.

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