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MDC stalls over Zimbabwe run-off

May 04 2008

MDC stalls over Zimbabwe run-off

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Arab World

By Agencies

Mugabe has accepted the results and confirmed he will take part in the run-off [AFP]
Zimbabwe's main opposition party has said it is yet to reach a decision on whether Morgan Tsvangirai, its leader, should participate in a run-off election against Robert Mugabe, the president.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) met on Saturday but failed to arrive at an agreement on whether to contest the run-off.

"If you want a yes or no answer, it's not going to come [for now] because there are issues that have to be clarified," Nelson Chamisa, the MDC spokesman, said.

The party is said to be divided over whether to contest a run-off vote with Mugabe, though many officials say that Tsvangirai would win.

"In the unlikely event of a run-off, the MDC will once again romp to victory by an even bigger margin," Thokozani Khupe, deputy leader of the MDC, said.

"The MDC wishes to reiterate that this election was clearly won by the MDC and president Tsvangirai," Khupe said, restating opposition claims that Tsvangirai won an outright victory in the March 29 election.

Tsvangirai is in Johannesburg, in neighbouring South Africa, from where he took part in the MDC meeting via a video link-up.

The MDC leader will make a formal announcement on his attentions on Monday, George Sibotshiwe, a party spokesman, said.

Results disputed

The long-delayed election results, released on Friday, showed Tsvangirai had received 47.9 per cent of the vote, beating Mugabe's 43.2 per cent.

But under Zimbabwe election rules a candidate needs to poll 50 per cent to avoid a second round of voting.

Mugabe accepted the results and quickly confirmed that he would take part in the run-off.

The MDC previously rejected the idea of a run-off and on Friday accused the electoral commission of inflating Mugabe's number of votes by 47,000 and deflating those for Tsvangirai by 50,000.

If the MDC refuses to take part in a second round, Mugabe would keep his hold on power, according to electoral law.

Tsvangirai has been lobbying regional powers to pressure Mugabe to step down.

International concern

Western powers have cast doubt on the validity of Zimbabwe's election results and on whether the country can hold a fair run-off vote.

In Washington, a US state department spokesman said that the recently announced results had "rather serious credibility problems".
The MDC has said some of its supporters have been attacked by Zanu-PF activists [AFP]

International rights and aid groups have also expressed alarm over political violence following last month's election.

The MDC has claimed some of their supporters have been subject to attacks from Zanu-PF activists.

There have also been reports of thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing the country for fear of violence.

US-based Human Rights Watch called the chances of a free and fair election a "tragic joke", following alleged attacks on opposition supporters by the army and other groups allied to the Zanu-PF.