Zimbabwe's High Court today refused to order the immediate release of delayed results from the 29 March presidential election, in a major blow to the opposition MDC. Rejecting a Movement for Democratic Change application to force the electoral commission to release the result, Judge Tendai Uchena said: "I dismiss the case with costs." The MDC says its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, defeated President Robert Mugabe in the vote, ending his 28-year rule. The MDC went to the High Court after a long delay in issuing the result by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). Judge Uchena did not explain his judgement, but said the court would make it available by tomorrow. The ZEC opposed the MDC's application and says it is still counting and verifying the votes.
Zimbabwe's High Court today refused to order the immediate release of delayed results from the 29 March presidential election, in a major blow to the opposition MDC.
Rejecting a Movement for Democratic Change application to force the electoral commission to release the result, Judge Tendai Uchena said: "I dismiss the case with costs."
The MDC says its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, defeated President Robert Mugabe in the vote, ending his 28-year rule.
The MDC went to the High Court after a long delay in issuing the result by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
Judge Uchena did not explain his judgement, but said the court would make it available by tomorrow.
The ZEC opposed the MDC's application and says it is still counting and verifying the votes.
Zimbabwe is in a state of crisis, the African National Congress (ANC) national working committee (NWC) said on Monday. "The ANC regards [the ruling] Zanu-PF as an ally. However, it is concerned with the state of crisis that Zimbabwe is in and perceives this as negative for the entire Southern African Development Community [SADC] region," said spokesperson Jesse Duarte following an NWC meeting in Cape Town. This is contrary to President Thabo Mbeki's pronouncement that the stand-off in the Southern African country does not constitute a crisis. Duarte said the ANC accepts that Mbeki, who has been re-appointed by SADC to mediate between the Zanu-PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) factions, "has cause to remain neutral".
Zim opposition strikers face police crackdown : Mail & Guardian Online
Zimbabwe opposition supporters face the prospect of a heavy crackdown by security forces on Tuesday if they heed a call to launch a general strike to show their disgust at long-delayed election results. Police have been deployed throughout the country in anticipation of the strike called by Morgan Tsvangirai's opposition in a bid to pressurise the country's electoral commission (ZEC) to release presidential election results. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has been accused by police of trying to cause mayhem with the strike, launched on the back of a failed court bid to force the release of the March 29 presidential poll. National police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena said police had been deployed throughout the country and "those who breach the peace will be dealt with severely and firmly".
This is Zimbabwe
The first bit of news I received this morning had nothing to do with the general strike called by the opposition. It was a call from a friend: "I hope you've got news for me!" I said loudly, before he could say hullo. "I do" he said. I thought it would be strike related news. Instead he said a contact of his had phoned him and told him that people in the Musana Communal Lands, in the Bindura / Shamva area (Mashonaland Central), have had their hands cut off. That the pattern of beatings and burnings had taken a dramatic turn for the worse. The open hand is the symbol of the winning opposition. <...> This is ZimbabweUpdate: I called my colleague in Harare. He said ... there is a report of a Kombi bus having been burnt in Warren Park, a township in Harare, and soldiers chasing people in the streets of Glen Norah, another township in Harare. Companies in the industrial sites of Harare are reporting less than 50% turnout by staff.
The first bit of news I received this morning had nothing to do with the general strike called by the opposition. It was a call from a friend: "I hope you've got news for me!" I said loudly, before he could say hullo.
"I do" he said.
I thought it would be strike related news. Instead he said a contact of his had phoned him and told him that people in the Musana Communal Lands, in the Bindura / Shamva area (Mashonaland Central), have had their hands cut off. That the pattern of beatings and burnings had taken a dramatic turn for the worse.
The open hand is the symbol of the winning opposition.
<...>
Update: I called my colleague in Harare. He said ... there is a report of a Kombi bus having been burnt in Warren Park, a township in Harare, and soldiers chasing people in the streets of Glen Norah, another township in Harare. Companies in the industrial sites of Harare are reporting less than 50% turnout by staff.
