U.N. chief "strongly discourages" Zimbabwe election

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday "strongly discouraged" Zimbabwe's government to press ahead with its plans to hold a second-round presidential election this week, saying the results would lack legitimacy.

"I would strongly discourage the authorities from going ahead with the run-off on Friday," he told reporters after meeting with the 15-nation Security Council.

"It will only deepen divisions within the country and produce a result that cannot be credible."

Ban also voiced understanding for opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's decision to withdraw from the presidential election.

"I would like to take this moment to say how distressed I am by the events leading to the understandable decision of the opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai to withdraw from the run-off election scheduled for this Friday," Ban said.

"There has been too much violence and too much intimidation," he said. "A vote held in these conditions would lack all legitimacy."

Ban did not specifically blame Mugabe and his government for the situation, though he did speak of a "campaign of threat and intimidation" against the citizens of Zimbabwe.

He added that the problems in Zimbabwe had an impact beyond its borders, describing the situation as "the single greatest challenge to regional stability in southern Africa today."

(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau, Editing by Chris Wilson)