Zimbabwe's MDC says Mugabe preparing violence

Zimbabwe's opposition yesterday accused President Robert Mugabe of deploying militias for a war to reverse the result of last weekend's election.

Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Mugabe was "preparing a war on the people" and deploying loyal forces, including liberation war veterans, ahead of a presidential run-off vote.

"Militants are being rehabilitated," Tsvangirai told a press conference, adding that the central bank was printing money "for the finance of violence".

The MDC says it won last weekend's presidential vote.

Official results show the MDC won a parallel vote in which Mugabe's ZANU-PF lost control of parliament for the first time - the biggest defeat of Mugabe's 28-year rule.

ZANU-PF and independent projections show Tsvangirai being forced into a presidential run-off after failing to win an absolute majority.

"The circumstances have changed, ZANU-PF has threatened, has deployed militias, has deployed war veterans," Tsvangirai said.

"It is unfair ...for President Mugabe to even hint at a run-off. Violence will be the new weapon to reverse the people's will. We won this election without the need for a run-off."

Calling Mugabe a lame duck president, Tsvangirai said he "must concede to allow us to move on with the business of rebuilding and reconstructing the country."

Zimbabwe's electoral commission yesterday announced the final results of the senate election, showing ZANU-PF had won 30 seats, the same as MDC and a breakaway opposition faction combined.

But control of the senate, which can block lower house legislation, will depend on who wins the presidential election. The head of state appoints 15 members and local chiefs, who are normally loyal to him, appoint the remaining 18.

The senate results had to precede the anxiously awaited presidential outcome. But despite growing impatience over the delay, the commission said it would only release the results "when they are ready".

Earlier the Zimbabwe High Court postponed until today a legal bid by the opposition to force the release of the presidential results after the electoral commission asked for more time to prepare its response.

Armed police initially prevented MDC lawyers from entering the High Court before allowing them in.

The opposition and Western governments blame Mugabe for Zimbabwe's economic collapse, which has reduced much of its people to misery. He blames Western sanctions.

The veteran president had looked wounded earlier in the week after the parliamentary defeat. But a meeting of the party's politburo on Friday planned a fight-back and resolved he would contest a run-off against Tsvangirai.

Party officials alleged widespread MDC bribery of electoral officials and said they would legally challenge the results in 16 constituencies, enough to overturn the parliamentary result if successful.

Under electoral law a presidential runoff must be held three weeks after results are released. So the longer the results take, the more time ZANU-PF has to organise.

Analysts believe Mugabe will use his control of state apparatus, including the security forces and pro-government militias, to intimidate MDC supporters before a run-off.

Former colonial ruler Britain and the United States, both of whom have applied sanctions on Mugabe and his top officials, have criticised the election delay and suggested it could be the precursor to a rigged result.

Thabo Mbeki, president of regional power South Africa, told the international community to wait for the full election results and said it was not time for action.

"I think the situation for now is manageable," Mbeki told reporters as he arrived at a conference of "progressive governance" leaders near London. Mbeki led unsuccessful regional mediation attempts last year and South Africa is flooded with Zimbabwean economic refugees.

Zimbabwe's government-run Herald newspaper reported yesterday a provincial elections officer had been arrested in the Midlands region over charges that some polling stations had inflated vote tallies for the MDC and recorded lower votes for Mugabe and ZANU-PF candidates.

"ZANU-PF in the province say they are checking every ward as they suspect a wider conspiracy," it said.

The hardening of ZANU-PF's position has punctured optimism among Mugabe's critics inside and outside the country that he would stand down, clearing the way for economic reconstruction.

Zimbabwe has the world's highest rate of inflation at more than 100,000 per cent, chronic food and fuel shortages and 80 per cent unemployment. A quarter of the population has fled abroad.