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Zim opposition still leading the race

Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on Friday made a strong early showing in elections, taking more than a quarter of contested seats in Parliament, the electoral commission said. The MDC won 31 seats in its urban strongholds.

Reports deepen doubt over Zim election

Two reports issued on Wednesday reinforced concern that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party won last week's parliamentary election through fraud. A report by observers from the United States embassy said there were "several patterns of irregularities".

SA consortium: Zim vote not free and fair

Based on the present evidence and analysis of the Southern African Development Community guidelines, Zimbabwe's elections cannot be pronounced free and fair without qualification, a South African observer consortium says. The consortium said it had requested, but was not afforded, observer status.

Reporters 'face jail' in Zimbabwe

Two British journalists arrested for working without accreditation in Zimbabwe are bracing for jail terms of up to two years if found guilty at a trial expected to conclude next week. Some experts say the two may be fined and deported immediately from Zimbabwe, but others warn that the authorities might seek to make an example of them.

MDC to take seats in Parliament

Zimbabwe's main opposition party said it will take its seats when the country's new Parliament is inaugurated on Tuesday, despite branding the March 31 parliamentary polls as a massive fraud. "Our parliamentarians will be there at Parliament today," said a Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesperson.

Zim state media give with one hand, take away with other

On the face of it, the new broadcasting regulations issued last month in Zimbabwe were groundbreaking. For the first time in the history of Zimbabwean elections, the opposition would be allocated time on state-owned radio and television in the run-up to the poll, scheduled for March 31. Some welcomed this as a step towards leveling the country's uneven electoral playing field. Others say they're simply cosmetic.

'Posters are not that inspiring'

After the dust of next week's election has settled, Zimbabwe's municipalities face the headache of removing graffiti and posters from trees, walls, billboards, commuter buses, government buildings, shops and pushcarts. There are no catchy messages, but colourful campaign media is everywhere. "People have already made up their minds," says one political analyst.

'We are Zimbabweans'

It was early evening when I arrived, and my parents were locking their front gate. There were uniformed guards on the perimeter, and I saw the fence around their house had been electrified in the past year. "We've just been to a farewell,'' my mother laughed. "Soon we'll be the only ones left!'' She meant the only whites left, although leaving Zimbabwe goes both ways these days: three million of us now live outside the country.

Mugabe rules out unity

On Thursday morning a confident Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's President since independence in 1980, predicted that his ruling Zanu-PF would reach the two-thirds threshold in the 2005 parliamentary poll and use its majority to change the Constitution. Zimbabwe's president is likely to mend party factions, but has rejected reconciliation with the opposition.

Zanu-PF threatens to seize companies

President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party has threatened to seize commercial companies it says are trying to provoke food riots in the wake of last week's parliamentary elections. Trade Minister Samual Mumbengegwi said manufacturers and retailers who raised prices should revert to previous levels because the increases had not been approved.