Reuters
24 June 2008
Nairobi — Zimbabwe's presidential run-off will take place on Friday despite the withdrawal of opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said on Monday.
"He (Tsvangirai) has left his withdrawal until too late. The process is now irreversible towards a run-off on the 27th of June, so whether he writes or not, the runoff will certainly take place on Friday," he told state television. Meanwhile, Mr Tsvangirai sought refuge overnight in the Dutch embassy, officials of that country said on Monday. There was no immediate confirmation from Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change. The Dutch foreign ministry said he had not requested asylum but was welcome to stay for his own security.
Meanwhile, Mr Tsvangirai wants the southern Africa region to push for the postponement of the June 27 run-off election, which he has withdrawn from, National Public Radio reported on Monday. Tsvangirai told US-based NPR that the Southern African Development Community should work to ensure the election "is postponed and conducted under SADC (standards) or to pressurise Mugabe to concede that in the first round he has lost the election and that he must give up power." The opposition withdrawal from Zimbabwe's election will make life more difficult for the veteran leader, stripping him of a veneer of legitimacy, increasing his regional isolation and bringing tougher sanctions, his government and the security chiefs who back him are not expected to buckle yet.
That means Zimbabwe's dire economic crisis, with inflation of at least 165,000 per cent and unemployment of 80 percent, can only get worse, pushing even more refugees into neighbouring countries that are fast losing patience with a leader they once revered as a liberation hero.
"It's a dire situation, whichever way you look at it. It's a kind of world war for him, but I don't think we are going to see a solution in the near future, in a few months," said Eldred Masunungure, a political science professor at the University of Zimbabwe.
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