Zimbabwe: Timeline of Events Since March 29 Elections
A chronology of the main developments since Zimbabwe's presidential, parliamentary and local elections on March 29
March 30: The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) claims victory based on early results.
March 31: The results of parliamentary ballot start to emerge. Regional observers say the vote was fair, but express concern over the delay to results.
April 2: The final parliamentary election results show the ruling Zanu-PF party has lost its majority for the first time since independence in 1980. The MDC says its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, won the presidential election and calls on Robert Mugabe to concede. State-owned newspaper the Herald says no candidate won an outright majority.
April 13: Regional leaders at a summit in Zambia call for rapid verification and release of the poll results.
May 2: The electoral body says Tsvangirai won the most votes in the presidential election, but not enough to avoid a run-off against Mugabe. The opposition rejects result.
May 10: Tsvangirai says he will contest the run-off, even though he believes he won outright.
May 19: The opposition accuses military intelligence agents of a plot to kill Tsvangirai, forcing him to postpone his return to the country. The government dismisses the claim as a propaganda stunt.
May 24: Tsvangirai returns to Zimbabwe and says Mugabe wants to decimate opposition structures before the run-off.
June 2: Mugabe overshadows the UN food summit in Rome by blaming Britain and the west for Zimbabwe's food shortages.
June 3: Zimbabwe orders Care International to suspend its operations after accusing it of political interference.
June 4: Police release Tsvangirai after holding him for more than eight hours while he was campaigning for the run-off.
June 5: British and US diplomats are temporarily held while trying to investigate political violence. The government bans all work by foreign aid agencies
June 12: The MDC secretary general, Tendai Biti, is arrested and charged with treason, which could result in him facing the death penalty.
June 18: Four opposition activists are found beaten to death, the MDC says.
June 19: The Rwandan, Tanzanian and Kenyan governments round on Mugabe and predict the coming election will not be fair.
June 20: The EU threatens further sanctions against Zimbabwe.
June 22: Tsvangirai says he is pulling out of the run-off.
March 31: The results of parliamentary ballot start to emerge. Regional observers say the vote was fair, but express concern over the delay to results.
April 2: The final parliamentary election results show the ruling Zanu-PF party has lost its majority for the first time since independence in 1980. The MDC says its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, won the presidential election and calls on Robert Mugabe to concede. State-owned newspaper the Herald says no candidate won an outright majority.
April 13: Regional leaders at a summit in Zambia call for rapid verification and release of the poll results.
May 2: The electoral body says Tsvangirai won the most votes in the presidential election, but not enough to avoid a run-off against Mugabe. The opposition rejects result.
May 10: Tsvangirai says he will contest the run-off, even though he believes he won outright.
May 19: The opposition accuses military intelligence agents of a plot to kill Tsvangirai, forcing him to postpone his return to the country. The government dismisses the claim as a propaganda stunt.
May 24: Tsvangirai returns to Zimbabwe and says Mugabe wants to decimate opposition structures before the run-off.
June 2: Mugabe overshadows the UN food summit in Rome by blaming Britain and the west for Zimbabwe's food shortages.
June 3: Zimbabwe orders Care International to suspend its operations after accusing it of political interference.
June 4: Police release Tsvangirai after holding him for more than eight hours while he was campaigning for the run-off.
June 5: British and US diplomats are temporarily held while trying to investigate political violence. The government bans all work by foreign aid agencies
June 12: The MDC secretary general, Tendai Biti, is arrested and charged with treason, which could result in him facing the death penalty.
June 18: Four opposition activists are found beaten to death, the MDC says.
June 19: The Rwandan, Tanzanian and Kenyan governments round on Mugabe and predict the coming election will not be fair.
June 20: The EU threatens further sanctions against Zimbabwe.
June 22: Tsvangirai says he is pulling out of the run-off.
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