ZIMBABWE:Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe's presidential election, winning 47 per cent of the vote against the president's 43 per cent, senior government sources said yesterday. One source said a run-off would be needed because Mr Tsvangirai did not win enough votes for an outright victory.
Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has said he won the March 29th vote outright and accuses Mr Mugabe of delaying results to rig victory. The stand-off has raised fears of widespread bloodshed.
Mr Tsvangirai has said there is no need for a second round because he won outright but has also suggested he could take part if there were international observers led by the UN. If Mr Tsvangirai refused to take part in a run-off, Mr Mugabe would be declared the winner, according to election rules.
A top official in Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party said: "Those figures are in line with the official figures and the MDC knows that the official tally is more or less around that but they have been inflating their numbers to claim a false victory." There was no immediate comment from the electoral commission, which has invited candidates to start verifying the count from today.
The MDC said yesterday that 20 of its members had been killed by pro-government militias in violence since the elections. Spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the violence had reached alarming levels and soldiers took part in attacks on party members.
Human Rights Watch has joined other groups in linking the violence to the security forces and so-called "war veterans" who are intensely loyal to Mr Mugabe. Its Africa director Georgette Gagnon said: "The African Union and UN Security Council should take immediate steps to help prevent a further escalation in violence." - (Reuters)