Zimbabwe Opposition Asks UN to Intervene

by greg1usa | April 4, 2008 at 10:15 pm

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The BBC Report

Zimbabwe's main opposition, the MDC, is to go to court shortly in a bid to force electoral officials to release the presidential election result.

A spokesman said the MDC wanted the electoral commission to publish the result of last Saturday's poll within four hours of a court order.

The party believes its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, defeated President Robert Mugabe in the ballot.

Mr Mugabe's own party has said it will back him if a run-off is called.

Announcing the suit to be filed at Harare High Court, MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the delay in reporting the result was unjustified.

It was, he added, creating "a lot of anxiety... among the [opposition], the nation at large and the international community".

The suit is due to be filed early on Saturday morning.

Spokesman Nelson Chamisa asked the U.N. on Saturday to help the country prepare for a presidential runoff, saying he fears the "vampire instincts" of President Robert Mugabe and his ruling party.

Chamisa said Zimbabweans "need the international community to help us." He added that the U.N. should not wait to "come when there is blood in the street, blood in the villages."