Zimbabwe deadlock deepens

Zimbabwe's election deadlock deepened yesterday, increasing fears of bloodshed, and Zambia called an emergency regional summit to discuss the crisis. Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said ruling Zanu-PF party tallies of the result of the March 29 presidential election showed a runoff would be necessary between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. "None of the candidates has been able to secure polling required by our law in order to avoid a runoff," he said.

Mr Chinamasa added that the electoral commission had ordered five constituency recounts in a parallel election in which Zanu-PF lost control of parliament for the first time.

But the opposition Movement for Democratic Change rejected both a runoff and recounts, saying it would only accept an outright Tsvangirai victory as shown by its own tallies.

"We won these elections, Morgan Tsvangirai won this election without the need of a runoff and we will not accept any other result," said MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti.

Official results have still not been released from the presidential poll 11 days after the vote and the MDC says Robert Mugabe is prolonging the delay while he plans a violent response to his biggest defeat since taking power in 1980. As government and opposition traded barbs, dashing any hope of quick action to turn around a ruined economy, concern increased among Zimbabwe's neighbours.

In the first direct regional intervention, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa called a meeting of Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders for Saturday to formulate a concerted response. Mr Mwanawasa is current chairman of the body.

Mr Mwanawasa's call came after Jacob Zuma, leader of South Africa's ruling African National Congress, said the results must be released, signalling a new, more robust reaction to the crisis than President Thabo Mbeki who favours "quiet diplomacy".

Mr Zuma, who rivals Mr Mbeki as the most powerful man in South Africa and is the frontrunner to succeed him in 2009, told the Star newspaper: "I think the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission should have announced results by now."

Mr Mwanawasa told journalists in Lusaka: "Because of the deepening problems in the country, I felt that this matter should be dealt with at presidential level".

SADC has been criticised in the past for failing to pressure Mr Mugabe despite the collapse of his country's once prosperous economy, which has sent millions of refugees fleeing into South Africa and other neighbours.