Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Expected Back From Exile

Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, was expected to return from self-imposed exile Wednesday as African observers pledged additional manpower to monitor an expected second election between Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe.

Tsvangirai has been in exile in South Africa since early April when results from general elections held on March 29 showed his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was beating Mugabe’s ZANU PF party in a parallel parliamentary poll.

He announced at the weekend that he would be returning to Zimbabwe from Wednesday to prepare for the run-off against his long-time rival Mugabe.

He demanded the deployment of regional peacekeepers to quell violence allegedly perpetrated by ZANU PF militias as well as the deployment of additional observers to monitor the run-off election whose date is yet to be announced.

Southern African Development Community (SADC) executive secretary, Tomaz Augusto Salomao, ruled out peacekeepers Wednesday but announced plans to increase the team to monitor Zimbabwe’s elections from 120 observers to 300.

African Union (AU) Commission chairman, Jean Ping also revealed the continental body’s intention to bolster the size of its mission to Zimbabwe from the previous 18 members to well over 100.

“We are also talking to various stakeholders there (Zimbabwe) and mainly with SADC to do their best to be helpful that the run-off should be (carried out) in a transparent, fair and calm atmosphere,” Ping said from the AU headquarters in Ethiopia.

The Zimbabwean opposition has alleged that at least 32 of its supporters have died in post-election violence.

The opposition leader has said he fears for his life if he returns to Zimbabwe but will have to return for the run-off or risk forfeiting his first round lead to Mugabe.

Tsvangirai got 47.9 percent of the votes in the first round against President Mugabe’s 43.2 percent.

Zimbabwean electoral law requires that a second must be held after both candidates failed to win more than 50 percent of the ballots.

Source African Press Agency

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