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Mugabe's poll loss 'disastrous'
16/05/2008 14:46 - (SA)
Harare - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe admitted at a meeting of his ruling party on Friday that his loss in a first-round of presidential elections in the country had been "disastrous."
"Although the presidential result did not yield an outright winner, it was indeed disastrous," he told the central committee of his ruling Zanu-PF party.
"Nevertheless we are set for a second round, for the run-off which must now decide the winner."
Senior members of the party met on Friday to map out a campaign strategy for a delayed run-off election ahead of the expected announcement of the poll's date.
Africa's oldest leader
The central committee of Zanu-PF, which normally meets four times a year, was holding a special session, the first after its veteran leader was beaten at the polls for the first time.
Mugabe, who at 84 is Africa's oldest leader and has ruled the former British colony since independence in 1980, was beaten by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the disputed first round of polls held on March 29.
But Tsvangirai, with 47.8% of the ballots failed to garner enough votes to avoid a run-off.
Zanu-PF sources said Friday's meeting would examine decisions taken on Wednesday by the party's politburo, Mugabe's inner party cabinet.
The country is due to hold the new round of presidential elections on June 27.
The ZANU-PF meeting comes a day after the army and police chiefs met with local church leaders to discuss the political violence that has engulfed parts of the country since the original polling day.
Human rights groups and the opposition have accused the military of having a hand in the violence but the army has denied any links to the attacks that the opposition says has claimed more than 30 lives.
According to a report in state media, police commissioner general Augustine Chihuri had told the church leaders that both Zanu-PF and MDC had set up bases across the countryside from where violence was being orchestrated, but police were now in the process of dismantling them.
Victims often arrested
The opposition has frequently accused the police of being partisan when responding to political violence calls, in many cases arresting the victims in place of the perpetrators.
Violence in the country has escalated since the poll, and human rights body Amnesty International said on Thursday that Mugabe's supporters were forcibly recruiting youths to carry out attacks on suspected opposition supporters.
- AFP
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Zimbabwe Special Report
