Judge orders Zimbabwe recount
A judge Friday rejected a request by the Zimbabwe opposition to stop plans for a recount of votes from the March 29 presidential election, opposition lawyer Andrew Makoni told CNN. Despite international pressure, the results of the race between incumbent Robert Mugabe and Movement for Democratic Change challenger Morgan Tsvangirai have not been released. Judge Antonia Guvava ordered the recount to start at 8 a.m. Saturday, Makoni said. The recount will cover the presidential and parliamentary elections in 23 constituencies, the attorney said. The electoral commission plans to review voting in 23 parliamentary constituencies, most of which were won by Tsvangirai's party, on Saturday. Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party could regain parliamentary power from the MDC if enough of the results are overturned. Mugabe used an Independence Day speech Friday to accuse Britain of trying to re-colonize Zimbabwe. The president, who came to power 28 years ago after ending the white minority rule of Ian Smith, hit back at British criticism of his administration's failure to release the election results. "We, and not the British, established democracy on the basis of one man, one vote," Mugabe told a rally on Friday in his first major speech since the elections. "We are the ones who brought democracy in this country. We removed the subjugation." Mugabe, whose speech was translated by CNN, said it was ironic that Britain would accuse his country of lacking democracy, of oppressing its citizens, of having a dictatorship, and of ignoring human rights and the rule of law when, he contended, it was Britain who incarcerated people fighting for democracy when Zimbabwe was Rhodesia. "Britain wants to steal our country through their puppets," he added, having earlier this week accused Tsangvirai of treason over an alleged letter from British Prime Minster Gordon Brown. Both Tsangvirai and the British Embassy in Zimbabwe denounced the letter -- in which Brown allegedly wrote he would make sure Tsvangirai came to power -- as a fake. On Monday, the MDC failed with another legal bid to force the electoral commission to release the vote count. It faces a massive obstacle in that the country's top judges are loyal to Mugabe. Tsvangirai, who on Thursday called for the United Nations to set up a criminal court to prosecute those responsible for alleged violence following the elections, has already claimed victory. The state-run newspaper, however, reported that he had not won more than 50 percent of the votes, and that a runoff with Mugabe was therefore likely. Meanwhile, a Chinese ship loaded with arms and ammunition bound for Zimbabwe was anchored off the port of Durban, South Africa, according to a South African government spokesman. South African Revenue Service spokesman Adrian Lackay said the cargo on the the China-flagged An Yue Jiangfit into a restricted category -- "possibly weapons or explosives." He said if the South African government decided not to allow the ship to offload at Durban, the owner could decide to sail the vessel to another port. Mugabe organized the usual festivities for Friday -- parades, a football match, slaughter of cows, plus his speech. The MDC fears that Mugabe, 84, will seek to cling to power by all means, and says its members have been targeted. Activist Arthur Taderera was in hospital on Friday after being attacked by government soldiers, The Associated Press reported. "They beat me and tormented me. They said I was a stooge who wanted to sell the country to the British and the whites," the 56-year-old Taderera said from his hospital bed. "People are crying. It is a travesty to talk of independence and freedom." |
Watch Tsvangirai talk about those who don't think there is a crisis »
