Political crisis continues in Zimbabwe, 'run-off' imminent

MDC to decide on Saturday whether Tsvangirai would take part in the 'run-off'

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"We don't agree with their figures. They will have to prove us wrong. We are now going into the verification of those figures," said MDC spokesman Chris Mbanga. MDC claims Tsvangirai got 50.3 percent of the votes and has accused Mugabe's ZANU-PF party of delaying in announcing the results to rig ballot boxes and force a 'run-off.'

MDC has also questioned the authenticity of 1,20,000 votes that were polled in favor of Mugabe. "We said to the Electoral Commission we're not moving forward until we understand where these 120,000 votes came from," said George Sibotshiwe, MDC spokesman.

Calling the announcement of the long-delayed result "scandalous daylight robbery," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the verification of the votes had not been done properly.

"This whole thing is a scandal, scandalous daylight robbery and everyone knows that," Chamisa said. "We won this election outright, and yet what we are being given here as the outcome are some fudged figures meant to save Mugabe and ZANU-PF."

Agreeing, MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti said Tsvangirai should be declared president.

"According to the law, the person receiving the highest number of votes is the president of the republic of Zimbabwe with effect from the day of such declaration," he said.

"Even on their own announcement, we have won this election and therefore Morgan Tsvangirai is to be declared the president of the republic of Zimbabwe," Tendai said, adding, that MDC would decide on Saturday whether Tsvangirai should take part in the 'run-off.'

Tsvangirai himself has not confirmed whether he would take part in the 'run-off' and, in case, he backs out, it would mean handing over victory to Mugabe, 84, who has held power since independence from Britain. However, if Tsvangirai takes part in the 'run-off,' it would only be under the international observation of the United Nations (UN), a MDC offcial said. During the first round, the main international observer group was from Zimbabwe's neighbors. A 'run-off' usually takes place within 21 days of a result being announced.

Meanwhile, Tsvangirai is presently trying to garner international support for the ouster of Mugabe and the ruling ZANU-PF party, which has launched a campaign of bloodshed and intimidation of MDC supporters ever since the election results were out. However, the ruling government has dismissed the accusations, claiming MDC was participating in political attacks and said that a 'run-off' was imminent.

"As far as I'm concerned, there is going to be a run-off. We have got our own results," said Bright Matonga, Deputy Information Minister, ZANU-PF.

Mugabe also said that he was ready to accept the will of the people "delivered in free and fair election," and he expects the opposition party to take the same approach.

However, international calls are growing louder for Mugabe to give up on his power.

While the United States and former colonial power Britain have questioned the credibility of the official results more than one month after the election and voiced concern over how fair a 'run-off' could be, the European Commission has called on Zimbabwe to allow international monitors to ensure a free and fair presidential 'run-off' after the electoral body there said no clear winner emerged from the first round.

"President Mugabe must call off his dogs and cease his security services and his supporters' attacks on those who are simply trying to express their views," said US State Department spokesman Tom Casey.

"It's really impossible, as a practical matter right now, to think about how Zimbabwe could hold a run-off election in a situation when everyone admits [that] by any measure, the leading vote-getter is having his party and his supporters regularly harassed and subject to abuse by government officials," he said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has also urged the Election Commission to release the Presidential poll results while clearly stating that there is serious humanitarian crisis in the country. "The humanitarian situation is very worrisome," he said. "The Zimbabwe government has not released presidential results after four weeksBecause of the increasing violence and the number of displaced people fleeing their homes to other places, there is a serious humanitarian crisis."

International rights groups have also expressed concern over the growing violence taking place in Zimbabwe.

"The ruling ZANU-PF party, the army and so-called war veterans have conducted a brutal state-sponsored campaign of violence, torture and intimidation against (opposition) activists and supporters," New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

Limits on the opposition's (MDC) access to the media during election campaign and questions about the impartiality of electoral officials are yet to be addressed, it said.

"The ruling party's bloody crackdown on the opposition makes a free and fair runoff vote a tragic joke," said Georgette Gagnon, director (Africa), Human Rights Watch, in the statement.

United Nations Children's Fund or UNICEF also said in a statement that there were growing reports of children fleeing their homes with their families as a result of political violence and that aid groups were finding it increasingly difficult to operate.

In this regard, Zimbabwe's neighbors, who were generally cautious in expressing their views on the political crisis that has beset the nation suffering from severe food, fuel and foreign currency shortages and inflation of 165,000 percent - the world's highest, agree. Most African leaders have expressed hope that a clear winner would emerge from the 'run-off' and the recent violence, which is causing tens of thousands of Zimbabweans to flee into neighboring states and seek political asylum, would end.