ZIMBABWE:ZIMBABWE'S RULING regime has called for a recount in the country's presidential election even though results from the first March 29th poll have not been released.
The state-run Sunday Mailreported yesterday the ruling Zanu-PF party had unearthed "errors and miscalculations" following a review of vote tallies from the country's 210 constituencies.
"Zanu-PF has requested the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to recount and audit all its electoral material relating to last week's presidential election following revelations of errors and miscalculations in the compilation of the poll result," said the Sunday Mailreport. "Consequent to the anomalies, the party has also requested that the commission defer the announcement of the presidential election result."
To date, the ZEC, the country's electoral body, has steadfastly refused to reveal its official result from the nine-day old presidential ballot, blaming technical difficulties for the delay. However, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has announced that its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has won a 50.3 per cent majority. Under electoral rules, this means he has defeated president Robert Mugabe, leaving no need for another vote.
But endorsement of Mr Mugabe to participate in a second round against Mr Tsvangirai last Friday by Zanu-PF's politburo has led many to speculate that officially neither candidate has secured the minimum 50 per cent plus one vote needed for outright victory.
A re-run is seen by many observers as Mr Mugabe's last stand. During the week, the MDC broke his iron grip on the country when it was announced they had won a parliamentary majority by 110 seats to Zanu-PF's 97.
In an effort to break the presidential deadlock between the two groups, the MDC has lodged a petition to the High Court - a verdict on which is due today - asking that the ZEC be compelled to reveal the official presidential winner.
Opposition spokesman Nelson Chamisa insisted Zanu-PF's call for a recount was illegal, as it could only be made after the official results were released. "How do you have a vote recount for a result that has not been announced? That is ridiculous," he said.
Mr Chamisa added the MDC would not accept a run-off situation because it feared Mr Mugabe would use violence and intimidation to ensure his victory. "People are going to be killed," he said, "We are not so naive a leadership to lead our people to slaughter."
Mr Tsvangirai told reporters on Saturday that Zanu-PF was preparing a war against the people of Zimbabwe "such as we witnessed in 2000". When Mr Mugabe failed to win backing in a referendum that broadened his powers and allowed for the seizure of white-owned farms eight years ago, there was a violent backlash against those who opposed him and dozens of farmers and farm workers were killed. The ruling regime went ahead with its land-seizure policy and most of the country's 4,000 white commercial farmers have since been dispossessed by war veterans and militia.
An unofficial truce with the few remaining white farmers appeared over yesterday when war veterans invaded five white-owned commercial farms. Three ranchers were driven off their land, and equipment and livestock was seized, the farmers reported.
The 84-year-old Mr Mugabe has led the country since independence in 1980 but, over the last 10 years, his leadership has transformed it from the breadbasket of Africa to an economic basket case.
Inflation is more than 100,000 per cent, unemployment is about 80 per cent and millions have left to seek a better life elsewhere.