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Africa Subsaharan
Tsvangirai rejects 'sham' ballot
2008-06-28
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has described the country's election run-off as 'an exercise in mass intimidation'. Mr Tsvangirai - who boycotted the poll citing violence - said people across Zimbabwe had been forced to take part and urged the world to reject the vote. Only President Robert Mugabe stood, and turnout is said to have been low.

The European Union called the run-off a 'sham' and the US and Germany say the UN will consider sanctions. Marwick Khumalo, head of the Pan-African parliamentary observer mission, told the BBC that turnout was very low and that the mood was sombre.

Voting is said to have been slower than during the first round vote 'We saw one long queue, which we mistook for a polling station, only to find the people were queuing for bread,' he said, adding that the ingredients for a free and fair election were missing.

However Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told the BBC that people were aiming to preserve Zimbabwe's independence. 'They are voting to say no to the recolonisation of our country,' he said.

Earlier, as he cast his vote in Harare, Mr Mugabe, who is 84, said he was feeling 'very fit, very optimistic'.
Posted by:Fred

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