Zimbabwean opposition leader withdraws

Zimbabwean opposition leader withdraws from presidential run-off WATCH VIDEO Source: CCTV.com | 06-23-2008 09:37 Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has withdrawn from the country's presidential run-off, scheduled for Friday. Tsvangirai said casting a vote for him could cost voters their lives MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he is pulling out of Friday's presidential runoff election against President Robert Mugabe due to mounting violence and intimidation against his party. The announcement came after the opposition Movement for Democratic Change was forced to abandon a rally in Harare on Sunday for the presidential runoff on security grounds. Tsvangirai also called on the United Nations, the African Union and the southern African Development Community to intervene and make sure the people of Zimbabwe are protected from ongoing violence in the country. Tsvangirai said, "We in the MDC have resolved that we will no longer participate in this violent illegitimate sham of an election process. The conditions prevailing as of today do not permit holding of a credible poll." The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission set June the 27th as the date for the presidential run-off in which Tsvangirai had been expected to challenge Mugabe. In the March election, Tsvangirai won 47 percent of the vote to Mugabe's 43 percent. But Tsvangirai was short of the 51 percent needed to win outright. The Zimbabwean government has repeatedly denied directing violence and intimidation against the opposition. And government officials say it will proceed with the presidential run-off unless Tsvangirai formally withdraws from the poll in writing. Earlier on, thousands of youth militia loyal to Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, armed with iron bars and other weapons, attacked journalists and forced election observer teams to flee the scheduled venue of the MDC rally. Editor:Zhang Ning

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YouTube | June 23, 2008