Last Updated: Friday, April 11, 2008, 12:31

MDC accuses Mugabe of military coup

MDC will not contest any run-off election in Zimbabwe | 11/04/2008

Zimbabwe's opposition accused President Robert Mugabe today of carrying out a de facto coup to extend his 28-year rule and said pro-democracy activists were in danger of their lives.

This is, in a sense, a de facto military coup MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai

Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Mr Mugabe will attend an emergency southern African summit called for Lusaka at the weekend.

Mr Tsvangirai said Mr Mugabe, who has held power since independence from Britain in 1980, would be ousted with the help of other African nations.

"This is, in a sense, a de facto military coup. They have rolled out military forces across the whole country, to prepare for a run-off and try to cow the population. It's an attempt to try to create conditions for Mugabe to win," Mr Tsvangirai said.

"We'll manage to get Mugabe out. Mugabe is being deserted. No one wants to touch Mugabe in the region now. Eventually, we will ease him out," he told Time Magazine .

He spoke ahead of the summit, to be attended by South African President Thabo Mbeki, to discuss growing fears the post election deadlock could lead to bloodshed in Zimbabwe, already suffering economic collapse.

Human Rights Watch said the Lusaka summit was the region's "last real chance" to resolve Zimbabwe's crisis and accused the ruling ZANU-PF party of increasing assaults on opposition activists and polling agents since the election.

The head of South Africa's ruling African National Congress, Jacob Zuma, yesterday urged all parties in Zimbabwe to honour the results of the elections and pursue disputes legally.

"With regards to Zimbabwe, we urge all parties to respect the will of the people, regardless of the outcome, and to proceed within the requirements of the law," Mr Zuma said in a speech to the Durban Chamber of Commerce.

Mr Tsvangirai's MDC accuses Mr Mugabe (84) of prolonging a long delay in issuing the results of a March 29th presidential election while he organises a violent response to his biggest defeat since taking power.

Mr Mugabe's ZANU-PF party lost control of parliament for the first time in the election, but no results of the parallel presidential vote have been issued.

Zimbabwe's electoral commission indicated late yesterday that it would not issue the results as long as the matter was before a High Court in Harare, where the MDC has launched an application to force officials to publish the results.