Zimbabwe opposition won´t commit to runoff until date is set

By ANGUS SHAW
Associated Press Writer

Zimbabwe´s opposition leader won´t say publicly whether he will participate in a presidential runoff until election officials set a date, even though he´s already made up his mind about whether to run, an aide said Monday.

Morgan Tsvangirai can concede the second-round vote to longtime President Robert Mugabe, or the Movement for Democratic Change leader can try to campaign though he acknowledges he could be arrested or attacked.

"We have a decision," Tsvangirai´s spokesman George Sibotshiwe told The Associated Press Monday. "But we will only announce it when (the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) announces the date of the election."

Attempts to reach electoral commission officials were not immediately successful Monday. They announced on Friday that a runoff would be necessary because neither Mugabe nor Tsvangirai won a simple majority in March´s election.

Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga said last week Zimbabwe´s constitution requires a second round no sooner than 21 days from the announcement of the results, and no later than a year.

Tsvangirai was in Johannesburg in neighboring South Africa, Sibotshiwe said. The candidate has been traveling in neighboring countries since the election, saying his priority is to rally international support but also acknowledging that he could be arrested or attacked should he go home.

Tsvangirai has claimed he won outright on March 29 and MDC officials dismissed as fraudulent the official announcement that he did not receive enough votes to avoid a second round.

Tsvangirai´s party and independent rights groups have accused Mugabe of delaying the official results while his army and party militants mounted a campaign of violence and intimidation intended to undermine support for the opposition before any runoff.

Zimbabwe´s neighbors called on the government to guarantee security during the second round, according to a statement issued Monday after a weekend meeting in Angola of the Southern African Development Community´s political, defense and security committee.

Mugabe´s officials have denied fomenting political violence, instead accusing the opposition of being behind the unrest.

Mugabe, 84, was hailed at independence in 1980 for promoting racial reconciliation and bringing education and health care to the black majority. But in recent years he has been accused of holding onto power through elections that independent observers say were marred by fraud, intimidation and rigging.