New election run-off date

Government announces election to be held June 27

It looks like my government source had his information slightly wrong yesterday when I revealed to you that the date for the run-off of the presidential election would be in August. My apologies.

It was announced today in a government gazette that the poll would be taking place on June 27 - still more than a month after May 24, which was when the MDC were expecting the election to be called.

The government has introduced an emergency law that allows it to call the election within 90 days of the results of the first round being released, hence perhaps my source's confusion. Previously the deadline for the second round was within three weeks, which is where the date of May 24 came from.

The opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has confirmed he will contest the poll but there are widespread fears here that Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF will use the additional time to harass and intimidate MDC voters.

Comments

[DC]

Well that's a surprise and I'll bet it catches the MDC on the hop too. But it is in fact a masterstroke by ZANU-PF.

One month to prepare a campaign and to try to canvas support in hostile areas. That is the MDC's challenge. ZANU-PF has already started 'campaigning'.

It also means that the ZANU-PF violence can be pushed to the extreme because in one month it can all stop just in time for the SADC observers to appear on June 27 to say the atmosphere was peaceful and the vote is free and fair.

It would be harder for the violence to run for 3 months or longer without some kind of uncomfortable squirming in SADC. With just a month of brutality, Mbeki can afford to procrastinate whilst appearing to do something.