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. Monday, 11 March, 2002


Zimbabwe High Court Extends Presidential Polling

VOA News
11 Mar 2002
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Zimbabwe's High Court says voting will continue Monday in Harare, the capital, and the nearby town of Chitungwiza in the bitterly contested presidential election. 

The opposition requested a third day of voting when it became apparent thousands ballots would not be cast by the time polls closed Sunday. The Registrar-General newspaper says less than 10 percent of Harare's 800-thousand registered voters had cast their ballots by mid-day Sunday. 

Zimbabwe's Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa now says the government will not appeal the court order. He says voters in Harare and Chitungwiza who have not cast ballots can do so today. Earlier, the government had said it would appeal the High Court Ruling. 

The election pits Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, against President Robert Mugabe who has ruled for 22 years. Zimbabwe's election campaign and voting have been plagued by violence and charges that pro-Mugabe militants have intimidated the opposition and are trying to rig the vote. The government denies the charges. 

Civil rights groups in Harare contend that delays at polling stations are part of an organized attempt to rig the vote in President Robert Mugabe's favor. The government reduced the number of polling stations in urban areas, where the opposition is strong, and increased them in the countryside, where President Mugabe is more popular. 

Meanwhile, Reuters news agency reports the independent Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum as saying at least 58 people were arrested Sunday in actions targeting opposition supporters. 

An opposition attorney who heads the Zimbabwe Bar Association, Adrian de Bourban, was arrested and charged with electoral corruption in Harare after distributing sandwiches and water to voters. 

Some information for this report provided by AP.

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