Скачать или смотреть Oppos accuses govt of unleashing violence after election, headlines, voxpops

(10 Apr 2008) SHOTLIST

1. Various of pedestrians walking along the streets of Harare
2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Harare resident, Vox pop:
"How can a country run for 10 days without a leader?"
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Harare resident, Vox pop:
"Considering the situation we are (inaudible), we are totally confused, you know, we thought that, you see, that we are going to get a leader and, we can't live in a leaderless country."
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Name not given, Harare resident, Vox pop:
"There is nothing good happening in the country. Ah, I am very angry, this is bogus."
5. Various of men reading Zimbabwe Herald newspaper with headline reading (English): "Tsvangirai begs for VP post"

STORYLINE

The mood was tense on the streets of Harare on Wednesday, as it has been for 11 days since Zimbabweans voted for a president, but with no official release of results as yet.

Harare residents interviewed by AP Television expressed their frustration over the delay.

"How can a country run for 10 days without a leader?" asked one local man.

"There is nothing good happening in the country. Ah, I am very angry," said another.

Another local resident said,"We are totally confused."

"We thought that, you see, that we are going to get a leader and, we can't live in a leaderless country," he said.

International calls for Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe to release long-delayed results from the presidential vote mounted on Wednesday, as ruling party militants continued to overrun white-owned farms and the opposition accused the government of waging a campaign of violence.

Australia's government appealed for the quick release of results, following on similar calls by the United Nations, Britain, the European Union and the United States.

The opposition claims that it won the March 29 vote and is asking a High Court judge to force publication of the tally.

Hearings were to continue on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a state-controlled newspaper claimed that Mugabe's opponent was "begging" for the post of vice president, stepping up a push to depict his party as ready to concede.

Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), asked for the vice presidency in a government of national unity "after being told by his advisers that a possible runoff with President Mugabe for the top job was not in his best interests," The Herald newspaper reported.

The opposition has repeatedly dismissed claims that it is seeking a unity government as lies spread by a government propaganda campaign.

Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe for 28 years with an increasingly dictatorial regime, appears to have virtually conceded that he did not win and already seems to be campaigning for an expected runoff against Tsvangirai by intimidating his foes and fanning racial tensions.

The opposition maintains that it won the vote outright, with no need for a runoff.

Zimbabwe's opposition has also accused Mugabe of an orchestrated campaign of violence and of unleashing ruling party militants to drive dozens of white farmers off their land.

MDC secretary-general Tendai Biti said there had been "massive violence" since the elections in traditional ruling party strongholds that voted for the opposition.

Ruling party militants, used previously to intimidate government opponents, were being rearmed, he said.

Government officials said there had been no outbreak of violence.

Reports that people are being beaten up and their homes torched have circulated in the capital in recent days but could not be confirmed because of the danger of travelling to the areas.

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