Zimbabwe's main opposition party has said it has not yet decided whether its leader Morgan Tsvangirai should participate in a run-off election against President Robert Mugabe.
Speaking this afternoon after a high level meeting of the Movement for Democratic Change, a spokesperson for the party said that there were issues to be clarified before a decision could be reached.
The MDC has rejected results issued yesterday that give it the most votes in the country's presidential election, but not enough to avoid a run-off.
Mr Mugabe has said he accepts he lost the election and will contest a run-off vote.
Non-participation by the MDC would hand automatic victory to Mr Mugabe.
Zimbabwe has come under mounting international pressure after the long-delayed results were released.
International reactions to the results
A European Commission spokeswoman underscored the need for a 'free and fair second round that is conducted in a proper manner'.
'We are therefore calling for international observers from the moment this process starts,' she said.
Canadian Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier called the results contested, and said Tsvangirai had a clear lead over Mr Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980 when Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain.
Zimbabwe's electoral commission said yesterday that in the absence of an absolute majority by Mr Tsvangirai, there should be a run-off on a date yet to be announced.
In Washington, a State Department spokesman said the results had 'rather serious credibility problems' and doubted a run-off would be free and fair.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Mr Mugabe had 'clearly lost', adding: 'His campaign of violence and intimidation over the last month must stop immediately.'
US-based rights group Human Rights Watch echoed the call.
'Since the elections, the ruling ZANU-PF party, the army and so-called war veterans have conducted a brutal state-sponsored campaign of violence, torture and intimidation against MDC activists and supporters,' it said.
'The long delay in announcing the results of the presidential elections and the government's politically motivated arrests of more than 100 presiding election officers around the country raises serious questions about the official tally.'
