|
|
Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Returns Home to Contest Runoff Election
 |
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
The Zimbabwe Guardian (London)
10 May 2008
Posted to the web 10 May 2008
Samantha Chidzero
THE leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) party will return home in the next two days to contest a runoff according to a statement he issued Saturday.
Morgan Tsvangirai--who still claims that he won the presidential election resoundingly to avoid a run off election--ended weeks of speculation by making this announcement.
Tsvangirai's MDC-T party had earlier indicated that they will never contest a runoff election.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said none of the presidential candidates garnered the required result to avoid a runoff election. According to ZEC, Tsvangirai scored 47.9 per cent of the vote, and President Robert Mugabe scored 43.2 per cent--both figures below the 50 plus one per cent threshold required to declare ourigh victory.
These official results were echoed by the ruling Zanu PF party and independent candidate Simba Makoni, but the MDC-T flatly rejected them.
"The MDC has decided that we will contest the runoff and the people will finally prevail. The people have spoken before, and the people will speak again. I am ready and the people are ready for the final round," said Tsvangirai in a statement.
Tsvangirai said this decision was reached at after consultation with members of the civil society and the leadership of the MDC-T party.
"I have asked the MDC, civil society and other democratic forces to assess the feeling of the people on the ground," said Tsvangirai.
"The overwhelming sentiment that emerged from the people of Zimbabwe is that they are ready," he continued.
Tsvangirai said he will return home to begin a 'Victory Tour'. He has been in self-imposed exile in Botswana where he was a guest of the new Botswana president, Ian Khama.
Tsvangirai did not indicate whether party secretary general Tendai Biti--whom police want to interview on allegations of incitement of violence and violation of electoral law--will also be returning home. Biti is believed to be resident in South Africa.
President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF party has indicated that it is ready for a runoff election.
The leadership of the party has already endorsed President Mugabe for a runoff vote.
Earlier this month the Zanu PF administration secretary, Didymus Mutasa, said the party had endorsed a runoff if necessary.
|
The ZEC is yet to announce the date of the runoff election.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 The Zimbabwe Guardian. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
