HARARE, April 4: Zimbabwe’s ruling party launched its fight-back on Friday after its weekend elections reverse, saying Robert Mugabe would stand in a presidential run-off.

After a meeting of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front politburo, a top party official said President Mugabe would “definitely” contest a run-off in the first clear admission he had failed to deliver a knock-out blow in the first round.

The party also indicated it would seek to overturn its defeat in a simultaneous parliamentary election by announcing plans to contest the results in 16 constituencies where it was defeated.

“It’s definite there will be a re-run. We are down but not out,” said ZANU-PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa.

“Absolutely the candidate will be Robert Gabriel Mugabe, who else would it be other than our dear old man?” he added.

There was also a show of support after the meeting from Mugabe’s Vice President Joyce Mujuru, who proclaimed: “Don’t lose hope, we are going to win”.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is still to officially announce the results of Saturday’s presidential poll but the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) claims leader Morgan Tsvangirai won a clear victory.

In a bid to end the silence over the outcome, the MDC – which has already proclaimed Tsvangirai the winner – lodged a court case on Friday to demand the immediate release of results.

Mugabe, who has led the former British colony since independence in 1980, could be seen laughing and joking with ZANU-PF colleagues before taking the chair at the politburo meeting.

At one point, he told a member who lost his parliamentary seat: “You were struck by lightning.” Mutasa was adamant that everyone was fully behind the 84-year-old strongman despite rumours that the party was split over whether he should fight on to the end.

“We will take him and carry him wherever we go,” Mutasa said.

State media has been playing up the prospects of Mugabe contesting a run-off against his old rival Tsvangirai later this month.

The MDC says its own calculations show Tsvangirai won just over the 50 per cent of votes needed to avoid a run-off but is prepared for a second round.

Official results of the parliamentary election were finally announced on Thursday with the MDC, including members of a splinter faction, winning a combined total of 109 seats against 97 for ZANU-PF in the 210-strong chamber.

But Mutasa said the party now wanted a recount in at least 16 of the seats, potentially enough to overturn its initial defeat.

The MDC launched a legal bid to force the electoral commission to deliver its verdict immediately.

“It’s an urgent application filed in the high court,” MDC lawyer Andrew Makoni told reporters.—AFP