Zimbabwe's opposition was in contact with senior military and intelligence officials on Tuesday night to persuade them to respect the results of the election as pressure grew on Robert Mugabe, the President, to recognise defeat. Sources in the opposition Movement for Democratic Change said the contacts were aimed at winning the security establishment's support.
President Robert Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF party were to announce victory on Monday in the country's parliamentary and presidential elections, according to unofficial results leaked from the Zanu-PF and Zimbabwe Electoral Commission command centres.
To Robert Mugabe, Saturday's presidential election in Zimbabwe is not so much a vote as war. From his campaign slogan -- Get Behind the Fist -- to speeches invoking the liberation war against white rule, the president of Zimbabwe has defined his campaign to extend his 28-year rule as the final struggle against British imperialism.
