Zimbabwean president's supporters disrupt opposition rally
Sunday, 22 Jun 2008 12:36
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai will announce whether he will stand in the run-off polls tomorrow
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Supporters of incumbent president Robert Mugabe have reportedly assaulted opposition activists during a rally.
Zimbabwe is set to have a run-off presidential election between Mr Mugabe and rival Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai on June 27th. Official results of the previous election on March 29th stated that neither candidate was able to secure a majority thus requiring another round to pick the country's head of state.
The MDC were holding a rally inside a stadium in Harare when it was disrupted by members of the ruling Zanu-PF party. The MDC only received permission for the rally yesterday after a court overturned a police order banning the rally.
Members of the Zanu-PF have occupied the stadium and are setting up roadblocks to prevent attendance at the venue, according to the AFP news agency. The Zimbabwean government is yet to comment on the reports.
The ruling Zanu-PF party held a rally yesterday where Mr Mugabe vowed that the MDC would never be allowed to run the country
The head of the southern
African country also accused the opposition of spreading such information in order to reduce the legitimacy of next week's presidential polls.
The MDC has previously announced that 70 of its activists or their spouses and children had been killed since the first vote three months ago.