Opposition Factions Unite to Demand Mugabe's Exit

Leaders of Zimbabwe's rival opposition factions reunited yesterday to claim control of a parliamentary majority and demand that President Robert Mugabe step down.

Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, leaders of rival factions of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) declared they had put aside their differences after election commission officials completed a partial recount of votes in the parliamentary election. Although five seats were still outstanding last night, the confirmed results gave the MDC a majority and broke the grip of the ruling Zanu-PF party for the first time in Zimbabwe's 28 years as an independent state.

The opposition leaders moved fast to consolidate their gains as Mugabe's hold on power tangibly weakened. "We are here to ... say there will be no divisions among ourselves," Mutambara said at a joint press conference with Tsvangirai in South Africa.

"We are all going to work together in case Robert Mugabe and Zanu-PF try to sabotage the will of the people. We are in control of parliament. We are also controlling the senate. This is the state of affairs in our country."

The election commission said the long-delayed count in the March 29 presidential election had also been completed, and that the process of verification, in which official tallies would be compared with those of the rival parties, could begin today.

Independent observers believe Tsvangirai beat Mugabe but perhaps not by enough to avoid a runoff. Tsvangirai, however, rejected the prospect of a second round.

"The question about a runoff doesn't arise," he said. "It doesn't arise because of the simple fact that the people have spoken, the people have decided." Addressing Mugabe directly, he said: "Old man, go and have an honorable exit."

Tsvangirai said the MDC was also willing to work with Simba Makoni, the ex-finance minister and third presidential candidate, whom Mutambara's faction backed in the election, as well as amenable Zanu-PF MPs.

Diplomats in Zimbabwe said Mugabe appeared to be playing for time and preparing for a second round in the presidential race with a campaign to intimidate MDC supporters in the countryside.

In an attempt to increase the pressure, the US state department's chief Africa envoy, Jendayi Frazer, said the international community had a responsibility to intervene to prevent post-election human rights abuses. "When a government deploys its military and its police and its intelligence operatives, as well as mobilizing youth militia then the international community has a responsibility to step in and to try to stop that government from beating its own population," Frazer told the Associated Press. In a separate interview with the BBC, she said the US would back UN sanctions against Zimbabwe if the post-election crisis continued.

As Mugabe and Tsvangirai prepared to meet the electoral commission today to compare vote tallies in the presidential race, electoral officials said challenges from either side would lead to further delays in the declaration of final results.

The UN security council is due to discuss the post-election crisis in Zimbabwe today under pressure from both the US and Britain.