The Movement for Democratic Change, Zimbabwe’s main opposition party lead by Morgan Tsvangirai, has rejected and rubbished announcements made by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission that the date for the run-ff election between President Robert Mugabe and Tsvangirai be extended to July 31.

ZEC is reported by The Herald to have said that the run-off could be delayed by a further three months from the day of announcement of the first results.

The delay is illegal and a maverick ploy by the hugely unfavourable Zanu PF party to buy time, Biti said.

The professional lawyer said, his party still insists that a run-off be held by May 23, according to the country’s laws which stipulate that the second round of votes has to come within three weeks of the election results announcement.

The MDC and other civic rights groups accuse Mugabe and his ruling Zanu PF party of mismanaging Zimbabwe’s battered economy.

They further claim the ruling party has embarked on a campaign of terror to intimidate rural voters to vote in favour of Mugabe in the presidential election run-off.

In the parliamentary vote conducted on the same day, March 31, the people of Zimbabwe also voted overwhelmingly for the MDC in the parliamentary vote as the opposition managed to wrest the majority of the votes but shockingly, the new parliament has not yet been sworn in nor has it started convening.

Biti said the crisis in Zimbabwe was spilling over into South Africa where 3.5 million Zimbabweans have fled and where two people died in attacks against foreigners this week.

The SADC grouping of southern African nations, which will monitor the polls, said this week the political environment in Zimbabwe was not yet suited for a secure and fair run-off.

SADC observed the first round of the vote in March and now says it plans to send a bigger team to the run-off. Regional states are concerned turmoil and instability in Zimbabwe could hurt them too.

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