Zimbabwe poll checking delayed

Checking of votes from Zimbabwe's disputed presidential poll was put off again yesterday, further delaying the day when the country will know if President Robert Mugabe is to remain in power.

The wait for the March 29 election result has led to a tense standoff and drawn opposition accusations that Mr Mugabe is trying to rig the outcome and intimidate opponents in the hope of swinging a possible runoff with rival Morgan Tsvangirai.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission invited presidential candidates and their agents to verify results from tomorrow. The process, which had been due to start yesterday, could still take another week before a result can be made public.

"This exercise will pave way for the announcement of the result of the presidential election," state radio said in a notice from the commission.