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April 15, 2008

Business as Usual in Zimbabwe Despite Strike Call by Opposition 
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Strike called by opposition for Tuesday to pressure officials to release results of last month's presidential elections 






Police in Harare, 14 Apr 2008

Shops and offices are open across Zimbabwe Tuesday despite the opposition's call for a strike to protest the lack of results from last month's presidential election.

The Movement for Democratic Change called for the strike Monday, after Zimbabwe's High Court refused to order the country's electoral commission to release the results.

But witnesses say traffic in the capital, Harare, was typically heavy today and that most businesses opened on time. A heavy police and military presence was eased as the strike appeared to fizzle.

Many Zimbabweans said they could not afford to miss work, while others say the strike was poorly publicized.

The opposition says its lawyers are studying Monday's High Court ruling before deciding on further action.

The MDC says its candidate Morgan Tsvangirai defeated President Robert Mugabe in the March 29 presidential election. It accuses the government of suppressing the results so officials can carry out a recount and order a run-off.

Zimbabwe's electoral commission has said it will recount the votes for both president and parliament in 23 constituencies on Saturday, regardless of any court procedures. The MDC is seeking a court injunction to stop the recount.

The opposition party gained control of the key lower house of parliament in last month's vote - a rare victory in a country where Mr. Mugabe has kept a tight grip on power for 28 years.

U.S. and British diplomats are planning to raise the issue of Zimbabwe's post-election crisis at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council. A spokesman for the U.S. mission, Benjamin Chang, said late Monday the U.S. plans to highlight its concern for Zimbabwe at a meeting Wednesday.

South Africa, which holds the rotating presidency of the 15-member Security Council, has opposed the idea.Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.



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