Fearing sham, Mugabe foe may withdraw
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is considering whether to pull out of the June 27 presidential runoff election, fearing it will be a charade, a spokesman said Friday.
A growing number of African nations, the United States and former colonial power Britain have said they do not believe the balloting will be free and fair because of violence that the opposition blames on President Robert Mugabe.
Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change says that at least 70 of its supporters have been killed since he defeated Mugabe in a March 29 vote but fell short of the outright majority needed to avoid a runoff, according to official figures.
“There is a huge avalanche of calls and pressure from supporters across the country, especially in the rural areas, not to accept to be participants in this charade,” said Nelson Chamisa, a spokesman for the MDC.
Chamisa said the MDC would decide Monday whether to contest the election, and that there were divisions among party officials.
Mugabe, 84, is fighting to cling to power he has held since independence in 1980.
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