MDC 'undecided' on election run-off

Zimbabwe's main opposition party said today it had not reached a decision on whether its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, should participate…

Zimbabwe's main opposition party said today it had not reached a decision on whether its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, should participate in a run-off election against President Robert Mugabe.

"If you want a yes or no answer, it's not going to come (for now) because there are issues that have to be clarified," Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for the Movement for Democratic Change, said after a high-level meeting to discuss the run-off.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission released results yesterday giving Tsvangirai the lead, but not the simple majority needed to avoid a run-off with Mr Mugabe, the second-place finisher. The opposition has rejected those results as fraudulent.

Thokozani Khupe, vice president of the Movement for Democratic Change, said the group still believed a run-off was unnecessary, maintaining Tsvangirai won the first round outright on March 29.

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Top opposition leaders were expected to meet this weekend to consider their next step.

No run-off date has been set. Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga said the constitution requires a second round no sooner than 21 days from the announcement of the results, and no later than a year.