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Harare: Zimbabwe's High Court on Monday rejected an opposition demand for the immediate release of results of the March 29 elections, prolonging the political crisis in the country.
Morgan Tsvangirai, the main opposition leader, says he won the election outright, and has accused President Robert Mugabe of holding back the results to orchestrate a runoff and ensure his 28-year grip on power.
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change had hoped that the court - though stacked with Mugabe loyalists - would force the election commission to release the results. The commission, which had quickly published results for parliamentary and local elections held the same day, said votes in the presidential election were still being verified.
The court rejected the opposition demand and accepted the election commission's explanation that it was investigating anomalies in some of the voting districts, calling it "legally valid" in its ruling.
"It can therefore justify the delay," the court ruled, stating that the commission "has not strayed from the law".
Opposition spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the party - which has refrained from holding major protests in recent weeks - would respond by staging a nationwide strike today.
Blank cheque
"It's a very sad day in Zimbabwe," said lawyer Andrew Makoni, who represents the Movement for Democratic Change. The court "has given the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission a blank cheque. We don't know when the ZEC will be ready with results. We don't know what specific time would be reasonable in the eyes of the court."
Government spokesman Bright Matonga said the ruling was "the right judgement" because it allows the electoral commission to complete a thorough review of results. He dismissed charges that the court was biased toward the ruling party, arguing that the opposition had moved court in the first place because it expected an impartial ruling.
Group's charge
"The electoral commission should be allowed to do its job," Matonga said.
The commission's offices have remained shut since last week.
The electoral commission has said vote processing is continuing at a separate location, but the opposition and local rights groups charge that ballots are not being processed.
"The verification, from what we understand, has not even begun," Irene Petras, head of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, told reporters in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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