Mugabe 'Not Giving Up'; Police Raid Rival Offices

He's ready for a run-off; soldiers raid opposition party offices
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 3, 2008 1:56 PM CDT
Mugabe 'Not Giving Up'; Police Raid Rival Offices
A woman takes care of her grandchild in a squatter settlement near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, April 2, 2008, where she was forced to relocate when 90,000 homes were demolished in a 2005 government campaign.   (AP Photo)

Robert Mugabe is "not giving up" and is ready to compete in a second round of voting in Zimbabwe’s hotly contested presidential election, the BBC reports. Meanwhile, police raided opposition party offices and rounded up a handful of foreign journalists at a hotel, including a Pulitzer winner from the New York Times. One political rival feared the start of a government crackdown, the AP says.

"President Mugabe is going to fight to the last, and he's not giving up, he's not going anywhere," said a presidential spokesman. Mugabe said he will meet with his party's top leaders tomorrow to discuss his next move. He has reportedly conceded to aides that he lost the popular vote—but if rival Morgan Tsvangira did not get 50%, a runoff will be necessary. The government has yet to release official results. (More Zanu-PF stories.)

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