Harare: Zimbabwe's ruling party refused to release its grip on power, demanding a presidential election recount as Robert Mugabe's feared war veterans tried to seize several white-owned farms.

As Zimbabweans began a second week of waiting for results of the poll, state media said Mugabe's ZANU-PF had dismissed a unity government as unworkable and was now demanding a complete recount after detecting irregularities.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change, whose leader Morgan Tsvangirai, 56, has claimed a clear victory over 84-year-old Mugabe, sought to break the deadlock with a legal bid to force officials to declare a winner. The outcome of the high court petition was due to be announced today.

Meanwhile the war veterans, hardline Mugabe supporters who led the sometimes violent farm invasions at the start of the decade, tried to move onto several of the few remaining white-owned farms but most were later repelled by police.

The first wave of such invasions are widely seen as having heralded the start of the economic collapse of Zimbabwe. Inflation now stands at over 100,000 per cent, the jobless level is beyond 80 per cent and the most basic foods are in scarce supply.

Tsvangirai, looking to become only the country's second post-independence leader, upped the stakes yesterday by declaring he had won enough votes to avoid a second round run-off against Mugabe.

ZANU-PF hit straight back by demanding the electoral commission stage a complete recount of the vote. The state-run Sunday Mail reported it had written to the commission highlighting anomalies in a number of constituencies.
Source : PTI