Zimbabwe opposition mulls conditions for run-off

By MacDonald Dzirutwe

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's main opposition party is discussing possible conditions for its leader Morgan Tsvangirai to contest a run-off election against President Robert Mugabe, a senior MDC official said on Sunday.

The Movement for Democratic Change has not yet decided whether to contest the second round, rejecting official results of the March 29 election showing the former union leader won with less than the outright majority he needed to defeat Mugabe.

But if Tsvangirai does not stand, it would automatically hand victory to Mugabe, accused by opponents of ruining Zimbabwe's once prosperous economy during his 28 years in power.

The MDC official said party leaders were hammering out conditions they would demand for Tsvangirai's participation in a second round -- including a strong international observer mission and the speedy release of results.

The opposition says the month-long delay in announcing the last result allowed the outcome to be rigged. The official result showed Tsvangirai won 47.9 percent of the vote to Mugabe's 43.2 percent.

One resolution being discussed by the MDC's national executive made clear a run-off was inevitable. It called on election officials to release the results of a second round within 48 hours and for Mugabe to concede defeat if he lost, the MDC official said. He did not want to give his name.

The opposition, which has accused Mugabe's ZANU-PF party of rigging previous elections, is also likely to demand an end to post-election violence it blames on Mugabe supporters.

"International supervision should be mandatory, the whole AU (African Union) should be allowed in. Over and above that there has to be an end to politically motivated violence," said the official, who attended a high-level MDC meeting on Saturday.