Lusaka/Johannesburg: As Zimbabwe's neighbours met behind closed doors to discuss the country's election standoff, the state media in Zimbabwe announced a partial recount of all the votes.

Zimbabwe's Sunday Mail newspaper said a partial recount of votes cast in the March 29 presidential and parliamentary elections would take place in a week's time. The surprise announcement came as leaders of the 14-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) gathered Saturday in the Zambian capital Lusaka mulled over the wording of a communiqué after several hours of emergency talks on Zimbabwe and its delayed election results.

Zimbabweans have been waiting two weeks for official results of the polls, in which long-time President Robert Mugabe is battling to extend his 28-year grip on power.

Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai has declared himself the victor. Mugabe's party says neither Tsvangirai nor Mugabe won outright and is gearing up for a runoff vote.

The Zimbabwe Election Commission's (ZEC) delay in releasing the results has led to an outcry in Zimbabwe and abroad amid calls from the international community for SADC to intervene. But the effectiveness of the extraordinary summit called by Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa was compromised from the outset after Mugabe decided to boycott it.

His party said it saw no need for the summit because there was "no crisis" in the country - remarks later echoed by South African President Thabo Mbeki, SADC's mediator in Zimbabwe.

The MDC has accused Mugabe of deliberately withholding the results to rig the result and pacify the population ahead of a runoff. International rights groups have reported numerous attacks by Zanu-PF supporters against alleged opposition supporters in recent days.

Opening the summit, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa urged SADC members not to "turn a blind eye" to the situation in Zimbabwe, which he said was creating "economic and political difficulties" in the region. SADC's intention was not, however, to put "President Mugabe in the dock" but to convey to him the bloc's desire for good governance, he said.

In the past, Zimbabwe's neighbours have rallied around Mugabe, rubber-stamping flawed elections and refusing to condemn gross human rights abuses to shield him from criticism from the West. Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan on Friday warned SADC leaders they had "a grave responsibility to act" to contain the Zimbabwean impasse and uphold democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Saturday issued his second call in as many days for the election results to be released, warning Mugabe: "The whole eyes of the world are on Zimbabwe." The MDC defeated Zanu-PF in elections to the lower house of parliament also held March 29, but Zanu-PF accused the MDC of bribing election officials.

 

Source : IANS