Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai will not take part in a presidential run-off against incumbent Robert Mugabe, the party's secretary general Tendai Biti said today.
‘We will not participate in a re-run of elections because we won that election hands down without a need for a re-run,’ Mr Biti told a press conference in Johannesburg, referring to the 29 March presidential poll whose results have yet to be released.
Earlier, Mr Tsvangirai accused Mr Mugabe of implementing a de facto military coup to keep himself in power.
Mr Tsvangiri said Mr Mugabe will be ousted with the help of other African countries.
Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change is accusing Mr Mugabe of prolonging the delay in issuing the results of a March presidential election while he plans a violent response to his biggest defeat since taking power in 1980.
President Mugabe's ZANU-PF party lost control of parliament for the first time in an election on 29 March but no results of the parallel presidential vote have been issued.
Mr Tsvangiri said this is, in a sense, a de facto military coup.
He added that the ruling party have rolled out military forces across the whole country, to prepare for a run-off and try to cow the population.
He said it is an attempt to try to create conditions for Mr Mugabe to win.
Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said on Friday the ruling party was preparing for a runoff after its tallies showed neither Mr Tsvangirai nor Mr Mugabe won the required absolute majority.
The MDC rejected both a runoff and ZANU-PF attempts to have at least 14 seats recounted in the parliamentary vote.
It says Mr Tsvangirai has won and should immediately end President Mugabe's 28-year rule.
Regional summit on crisis
Meanwhile, Mr Mugabe says he will definitely attend a regional summit to discuss the crisis in Zimbabwe if it goes ahead.
The Southern African Development Community group is planning to hold the meeting in Zambia.
A spokesperson for the president said there is nothing unusual about Mr Mugabe's attendance at the summit.
He said the SADC has come under a lot of international pressure over the Zimbabwe elections and needs to be briefed about what is happening.
Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa announced yesterday that he was to hold a summit on Saturday of leaders from the 14-nation SADC to discuss Zimbabwe where the results of a 29 March presidential election are still to be announced.
As still the head of state of Zimbabwe, Mr Mugabe is expected to attend.
UN warns of food crisis
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has warned that near drought in parts of Zimbabwe could badly damage the maize harvest and render a precarious staple food problem critical within months.
While excessive rains persisted during December and January causing serious flooding in some low lying areas, several provinces have been facing prolonged dry spells since February, the UN said, adding that the ‘food security situation in Zimbabwe is critical’.
