April 10, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 3, 1429

HARARE, April 9: Zimbabwe’s election deadlock deepened on Wednesday, raising fears of bloodshed, and Zambia called an emergency regional summit to discuss the crisis.

Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said ruling ZANU-PF party tallies of the result of the March 29 presidential election showed a runoff would be necessary between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

He also said the electoral commission had ordered five constituency recounts in a parallel election in which ZANU-PF lost control of parliament for the first time.

But the opposition Movement for Democratic Change rejected both a runoff and recounts, saying it would only accept an outright Tsvangirai victory as shown by its own tallies.

Official results have still not been released from the presidential poll 11 days after the vote and the opposition says Mugabe is planning a violent response to his biggest defeat since taking power in 1980.

The MDC charges Mugabe is trying to prolong the delay to regroup, rig the result and prepare violence.

In the first direct intervention by Zimbabwe’s neighbours,Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa called a meeting of Southern African Development Community leaders for Saturday to formulate a concerted response. Mwanawasa is current chairman of the body.

Mwanawasa’s call came after Jacob Zuma, leader of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress, said the results must be released, signalling a new, more robust reaction to the crisis than President Thabo Mbeki who favours “quiet diplomacy”.

DEEPENING PROBLEMS:Mwanawasa told journalists in Lusaka: “Because of the deepening problems in the country, I felt that this matter should be dealt with at presidential level”.

SADC has been criticised in the past for failing to pressure Mugabe despite the collapse of his country’s once prosperous economy, which has sent millions of refugees fleeing into South Africa and other neighbours.

The MDC has called on African states to prevent a slide into bloodshed.—Reuters