Oppostion leader Morgan Tsvangirai has pulled out of Zimbabwe's presidential run-off election.
In broadcasts monitored in South Africa, Tsvangirai described the election campaign as a "violent, illegimate sham of an election process."
He appealed for the African Union and the United Nations to act to prevent "genocide" in the country.
Tsvangirai made the announcement in Harare Sunday after extensive debate within his Movement for Democratic Change. It came against the backdrop of rising violence and intimidation in the buildup to the election, scheduled to be held on June 27. Dozens of activists have been killed, hundreds injured and thousands forced from their homes.
Militia organised by President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu PF are responsible for most of the violence, with army and police officers either participating or turning a blind eye to attacks on opposition supporters.
Tsvangirai has been detained repeatedly while campaigning. His party secretary-general, Tendai Biti, has been charged with treason and remanded in custody until after election day. State media have denied publicity to the opposition.
Tsvangirai won the first round of the presidential election on March 29, but the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said he did not draw the majority to avoid a run-off.
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It's sad that its come to this. Its sad that the will of the people cannot be heard. Mugabe's plan to harrass, torture, murder and intimidate the opposition out has worked. Its a sad sad day for Zimbabwe.
It is quite obvious that he pulled out or was ordered to pull out because it was becoming more certain every day that he was going to lose on June 27th. Now he and his sponsors will start working on plan B or is it plan J by now. It all can turn into a happy day for Zimbabwe if those like you can convince the West to lift the economy-crippling sanctions or if Zimbabwe's true friends step up to the plate and give them some real help in overcoming what has been externally imposed on them in order to effect "regime change."
You are obviously CIO and as thick as a brick
djoser35 - You are obviously CIO or Mugabe and as thick as a brick. To do the unexpected might actually be the way to go.
obviously democracy has failed in zimbabwe;but what is the solution to this problem. if zimbabwe was a self professed communist country this may have been a little easier to swallow, but to consider it in anyway similar to democracy is extremely disturbing. regargless if the bbc or whoever else is exaggerating about the conditions in zimbabwe such images of so many different individuals being mutalated for the same freedoms we in the west claim to wage our wars against tyranny is an obvious reminder of how easily the world can tell itself it is moral and just and at the same time show how easy it can pass a blind eye on the obvious wrongs in the world. i am all for diplomacy but there comes a time when there is really nothing to talk about.......mugabe lost the initial elections even though he cheated and used intimidation tactics. mugabe's answer was not even to amend his policy, even if only for a short time, but to step up his tactics and to mutilate and kill more of his people. it is obvious that the schools of thought that hold that self determination is the best path for any country is the best route to take has already been nullified with the democratically stiffling acts of mugabe. another thing that upset me was the words of imbeke.....that mugabe and Tsvangirai should sit down and negotiate what they should do for the future of their country as if the problem was that of two neighbours disputing something trivial. not to be too contrite but the right thing is the right thing and one must condemn the wrong that one sees in front of him even if it is happening across imaginary lines called borders.mugabe can say what he says and do what he wants because he knows no one will actively step in so why would he sit at the negoitiating table-the other side has no leverage. i beleve some fights are worth dying for but for tsvangirai it was not his life that was being taken and he did the right thing in my opinion since he would run the risk of endangering even more and more as elections drew nearer and nearer. i have no faith in orgaiztions such as the united nations, their website is just good for acquiring information and donating money to soothe ones concience...it is not my concience that needs soothing it is the people who are scared in their own homes, who thought that they would have some say in their governance after the british left, who are now hunted by their own countrymen like the jacobins in the french revolution. when does the outside world say enough is enough. i think if we were still in the cold war at least some lines would have been drawn so that zimbabwe would at least have to toe the line of some sort of western standard as to differentiate itself from tyranny even if just in flimsy policy alone. mugabe is not a failure he is doing what he sees is best for him, on the contrary it is the we as human beings who have seen what is happening and can draw and can draw references from history and see the dangers who are failures...........if you can give or suggest some sort of way for an individual such as myself to help the cause of these people who are sujected to this please contact me at faddergibbs1983@yahoo.com
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