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/ 1 June 2008

‘We don’t want any more bloodshed’

Hundreds of women converged on a stadium on the outskirts of Harare on Saturday to pray for peace ahead of the country’s tense presidential run-off amid mounting political violence. Zimbabweans go to the polls on June 27 for a second-round presidential election between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

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/ 31 May 2008

Zim: Counting votes — and bodies

Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe’s opposition leader, claimed on Friday that President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party no longer ruled the country. This is technically true. The Movement for Democratic Change won a majority of seats in Parliament after the first round of elections on March 29.

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/ 25 May 2008

Mugabe threatens US ambassador

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Sunday accused the United States of political interference and threatened to expel its ambassador, as his party began its campaign for next month’s election run-off. He told supporters in Harare that the Western allies wanted to control Zimbabwe’s resources.

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/ 25 May 2008

Mugabe fights for survival with start of campaign

With his rival back in the country, Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe fought for his political survival on Sunday as he kicked off his election campaign. Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai arrived home on Saturday after a six-week absence vowing to end the three decade rule of post-independence leader Mugabe in a run-off election scheduled for June 27.

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/ 15 May 2008

Zim opposition furious at run-off delay

Zimbabwe’s opposition reacted furiously on Thursday to the prospect of a run-off poll being delayed until the end of July, accusing authorities of flouting the law to help President Robert Mugabe cling to power. The Movement for Democratic Change feared the delay would be used to intensify a campaign of violence and intimidation.

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/ 15 May 2008

Zim eyes cross-party probes into violence

Zimbabwe’s government is to invite the opposition to form cross-party teams to probe acts of political violence in the aftermath of the country’s March elections, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said on Wednesday. It is the first time such an idea has been floated by the ruling party, which has been accused of orchestrating a campaign of terror.

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/ 14 May 2008

Zim presidential run-off vote delayed

Zimbabwe’s run-off presidential election has been delayed and will now be held within 90 days of May 2, when official results of the disputed vote were released, Zimbabwe’s government announced on Wednesday. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat President Mugabe in the presidential poll, but not by enough votes to avoid a run-off.