Tsvangirai mum on MDC’s participation in the presidential run-off

MOVEMENT for Democratic Change (MDC) president has remained mum on whether he will participate in a presidential runoff, saying his choice will only be made public after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) sets an election date.


According to MDC presidential spokesman, George Sibotshiwe, the MDC leader has already made a decision but can not reveal it now.
 
"We have a decision but we will only announce it when ZEC announces the date of the election," said Sibotshiwe.
 
Attempts to reach ZEC officials, who announced last week that a runoff would be necessary because neither Mugabe nor Tsvangirai won a simple majority in March, were not immediately successful.
 
Meanwhile, Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga has said the run-off has to be held no sooner than 21days from the announcement of the results, and no later than a year as provided for in the electoral laws of the country.
 
Tsvangirai, who is now staying in Botswana and was in Johannesburg over the weekend, has said his priority is to rally international support and that he feared that he would be arrested or attacked should he go home.
 
He has claimed outright victory on the March 29 poll, accusing ZEC of ‘cooking up’ and ‘massaging’ the results before officially announcing that he got the most votes, but not enough to avoid a second round.