By AFP,
Harare : Zimbabweans faced an uncertain future Monday after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai abandoned a run-off election saying violence had made a fair vote impossible, in a move that virtually hands victory to President Robert Mugabe.
“We will no longer participate in the violent illegitimate sham of an election process,” Tsvangirai, 56, told reporters at his home, saying he could not ask supporters to cast ballots “when that vote would cost them their lives.”
The opposition chief said Mugabe had “declared war by saying that the bullet has replaced the ballot”, referring to the president’s earlier threats to fight to keep the opposition out of power.
“We believe an election that reflects the will of the people is impossible,” he said, as he appealed to the United Nations, African Union and regional body SADC to “intervene and stop the genocide”. Tsvangirai added he would announce a decision on his next moves on Wednesday — leaving open the possibility, however slight, that he could change his mind.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Sunday called Tsvangirai’s decision to quit the June 27 run-off election a “deeply distressing development” and a bad omen for the country’s future, his spokesman said.
“The circumstances that led to the withdrawal of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai today from the Presidential elections represents a deeply distressing development that does not bode well for the future of democracy in Zimbabwe,” the spokesman said in a statement.
“The campaign of violence and intimidation that has marred this election has done a great disservice to the people of the country and must end immediately,” he added.
The move brought a dramatic end to a presidential campaign that had been marred by allegations of brutal violence, with the opposition accusing government backers of terrorising its supporters. It also almost certainly handed victory by default to Mugabe, 84, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980 and, according to critics, presided over its decline.
Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party said Tsvangirai had quit the presidential run-off election “to avoid a humiliating defeat” and that he “had no other option.” “He is aware that they did not do enough preparations and spent a lot of time outside the country meeting people who do not matter,” said party spokesman Patrick Chinamasa.
Tsvangirai spent some six weeks outside Zimbabwe following the first round of the vote in March. Chinamasa also said Tsvangirai must write to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to make his withdrawal official or the vote would still be held.
“In the event that he does not write the letter, that means the only remaining candidate will be declared the winner. But the poll will still go ahead on Friday in the event that he does not formally communicate with ZEC.”
International reaction was swift and harshly critical of Mugabe, with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband saying the country would lack “legitimate” leadership if Mugabe stayed in charge.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner branded Mugabe a “crook and a murderer”, while White House spokesman Carlton Carroll said “the government of Zimbabwe and its thugs must stop the violence now.”
Criticism also came from the region, with Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, current chair of the 14-nation Southern African Development Community, saying it was “scandalous for SADC to remain silent on Zimbabwe”. The regional bloc has faced criticism over its failure to take action against the Zimbabwean leader.
South African President Thabo Mbeki, the regionally appointed mediator for the crisis, may now be confronted with more pressure to find a resolution. His spokesman told AFP South Africa would “encourage the political leadership in Zimbabwe to continue work to find a solution to the political challenges.”
Tsvangirai said Sunday that Mbeki had made no proposal to him about a national unity government that could have lifted Zimbabwe out of its crisis.
“You can’t say President Mbeki is going to propose a government of national unity when it has not been put to us,” Tsvangirai said. The approach to the run-off had been tense, with the MDC saying more than 80 of its supporters had been killed and thousands injured.
They also claim more than 20,000 homes had been destroyed, with 200,000 people internally displaced. Tsvangirai called it an “orgy of violence.” The opposition leader made his announcement after hundreds of stick-wielding youths gathered Sunday at the venue of his party’s main pre-election rally, and following an MDC meeting to decide whether to withdraw from the election.
Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in the March first round of the vote — and the ruling party lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since independence.
But official results showed the MDC leader failed to achieve an outright majority of votes needed to become head of state without a run-off. Tsvangirai had said he would participate in the run-off under protest since he claimed to have crossed the 50 percent threshold in the first round.
Some Zimbabweans reacted to the decision to withdraw with relief, saying it would save lives, while others feared more pain.
Mugabe is accused by critics of leading the once model economy to ruin and trampling on human rights. The country has the world’s highest inflation rate and is experiencing major food shortages. The MDC met major obstacles while campaigning.
Tsvangirai was detained five times and the party’s number two, Tendai Biti, is in jail on subversion and vote-rigging charges and faces the death penalty.