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Zimbabwe opposition: Runoff risks violence

HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) — The opposition candidate who contends that he is the victor in Zimbabwe’s presidential election says he is against a runoff with President Robert Mugabe, because he fears violence.

We went into this election without the need for a runoff. This is totally unacceptable, Morgan Tsvangirai told reporters in a conference call Saturday. He previously had said he would be willing to participate in a second round of voting.

This country cannot afford a runoff. A runoff would traumatize and polarize the nation, Tsvangirai added.

Mugabe’s party has said those concerns are unfounded.

On Friday, Mugabe’s party, Zanu-PF said he was prepared for a runoff should the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission call for one. A runoff is required if neither candidate wins at least 51 percent of the vote.

The runoff would have to be held within 21 days of the commission releasing the results.

Tsvangirai’s party, the Movement for Democratic Change, filed an application with the nation’s Supreme Court, asking that it order the commission to release the figures.

Typically, the results of general elections are announced within two or three days of polls closing, said Lovemore Madhuku, a law professor at the University of Zimbabwe and chairman of the National Constitutional Assembly.

Although Madhuku said there is no deadline by law to release the results — despite claims by members of Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change — he agreed that a delay as long as this one is unusual.

The process is very fast. … This one, the delay is certainly abnormal, he said.

A hearing scheduled for Saturday was delayed until Sunday because the commission said it wasn’t ready with the necessary documents and needed more time, opposition lawyer Alec Muchadehama said. The hearing is set for noon (1000 GMT) in Harare, the capital.

We consented, and we appreciated that they needed to file those papers, although we would be happier with the matter being heard as quickly as possible, Muchadehama said. He said the matter is being heard before Justice Tendai Uchena.

Tsvangirai asked Saturday why the commission could not count 2.5 million votes in a week.

He accused Mugabe of preparing to promote violence and intimidate voters, because he has stationed militias and war veterans across the country.

The delayed presidential election results have raised fears that Mugabe is working on ways to cling to power. A look at the candidates

There were three other races in the election: House and Senate seats and local council members. The only results released so far are the House votes, which show Tsvangirai’s party was victorious.

Mugabe’s party has vowed to contest 16 seats in that race, contending that there was cheating involved in those constituencies.

On Saturday, police briefly blocked journalists and lawyers representing the Movement for Democratic Change from entering the High Court. They later were allowed inside.

Executive Zanu-PF members have promised to respect the outcome of the election, said Bright Matonga, a party spokesman who is also the government’s deputy information minister.

We don’t think there will be violence. There’s no need for violence, and we are going to show the rest of the world that Zimbabwe can hold peaceful elections, Matonga said Thursday.

Matonga attributed the delay in announcing results to the fact that four elections were held simultaneously, leaving the electoral commission with a huge task.

Asked when he would release the presidential results, the chairman of the electoral commission, George Chiweshe, said he was prevented from talking about it because of the pending court decision.

Zanu-PF officials said they will support Mugabe in a runoff, indicating that is the direction the party is taking. But some party members said there was an attempt to avoid a runoff because the party knows Mugabe would lose.

The opposition has asked the United Nations to intervene to avoid bloodshed ahead of a possible presidential runoff, a party spokesman said.

There were more reports of violence Friday, and police continued to hold two Americans, including a New York Times journalist, U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said. The Zimbabwean government has denied cracking down on journalists and the opposition. Watch as journalist describes her arrest

Members of the Zimbabwe Peace Project said Friday that they had received reports that two homes had been burned in the Mudzi District of Mashonaland East Province, and they blamed the incidents on government retribution for those who backed opposition candidates. See photos from the country’s elections

Peace Project Executive Director Jestina Mukoko said the homes belonged to people who campaigned for an MDC candidate in the parliamentary election.

Once revered as the breadbasket of southern Africa with good education and healthcare, Zimbabwe now has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world, schooling is a luxury, and it is difficult to get even basic food supplies.

Inflation has skyrocketed to more than 100,000 percent; food production and agricultural exports have dropped drastically.
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Computer woes hit more Heathrow flights

LONDON, England (AP) — A computer problem in the baggage system at Heathrow airport’s new Terminal 5 on Saturday dashed British Airways’ hopes of resuming a full flight schedule, the airport operator said.

The new terminal — solely used by British Airways — ran into severe problems on its first day of operation last week.

In the following days, hundreds of flights have been canceled, thousands of bags have stacked up as flights left without them, and many disgruntled passengers have spent the night waiting on the airport floor for delayed flights.

The new baggage handling problems were a bitter blow for British Airways. The airline had endured one of its most difficult weeks, but said on Friday that the terminal was running very well and there was no falloff in bookings as a result of the problems, which analysts expected to cost the airline about $32 million.

On Saturday, the airline said 12 short-haul flights had been canceled, and departure boards at the airport showed delays of up to three hours.

The airport operator, BAA, said its staff had identified the problem and were considering how to solve it without creating further disruptions.

This is entirely BAA’s responsibility, the operator said in a statement. We apologize to British Airways and all passengers who have been affected and can assure them that our specialist staff are working hard to resolve the problem and keep disruption to BA’s operation to a minimum.

The computer problems have meant airline staff have had to deal with bags manually, taking more time than would normally be needed, a British Airways spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity in line with company policy.

We are urging BAA to resolve these issues as soon as possible, she said.

Passengers flying with British Airways have been advised to check flight information regularly before traveling to the airport.
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Zimbabwe police bar opposition from court

HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) — Police have blocked opposition lawyers and journalists from entering the court where the party was trying for force the publication of delayed election results, the head of a legal advocacy group told CNN Saturday.

The court was scheduled to meet at noon (1000 GMT) to hear an application from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which asks the court to force Zimbabwe’s Electoral Commission to release the results of the March 29 vote.

The move was likely to intensify frustration and deep suspicion over the election, which sees President Robert Mugabe facing a fierce challenge from MDC candidate. The lack of election results so far has raised fears that Mugabe is working on ways to cling to power.

Mubabe’s Zanu-PF party has already said President Robert Mugabe is willing to enter a runoff. A runoff, if required, would have to be held within 21 days of the commission releasing the results.

The MDC launched its application in an effort to speed the process. It was unclear how the police action outside the court — reported to CNN by the head of the National Constitutional Assembly — would affect the scheduled hearing. What do you think about the situation in Zimbabwe?

Nelson Chamisa, a spokesman for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said he hoped for a decision on its court application by the end of Saturday.

Deputy information minister Bright Matonga called the court application very improper.

Matonga said the delay in announcing results was because four elections were held simultaneously and the electoral commission has a huge task in releasing the results from every race.

In addition to the presidential race in which Mugabe is seeking a sixth consecutive term, voters also decided races for parliament, senate, and local councils. The commission is close to announcing the senate results, after which it will announce the presidential results, Matonga said.

Amid indications of a tight race with MDC challenger Morgan Tsvangirai, the ruling party said Friday that Mugabe was willing to enter a runoff.

Asked by CNN when he would release the presidential results, the chairman of the electoral commission, George Chiweshe, said he was prevented from talking about it because of the pending court decision.

The opposition has asked the United Nations to intervene to avoid bloodshed ahead of a possible presidential runoff, a party spokesman told CNN.

Chamisa said the party feared Mugabe would use violence against opposition members in the days leading up to the runoff.

We will have to appeal to all the international community organizations, including the United Nations, in order to stop Mugabe, Chamisa said from the city of Bulawayo.

There is likely to be violence in the 21 days to come, Chamisa added.

He said the party feared Mugabe would use violence because we know him. He has done this in the past. He said war veterans and militias were already starting to be deployed around the country to intimidate voters ahead of a runoff.

But executive members of Zanu-PF met Friday and promised to respect the outcome of the election, said Matonga, who is also the government’s deputy information minister and said he attended the meeting.

We don’t think there will be violence. There’s no need for violence, and we are going to show the rest of the world that Zimbabwe can hold peaceful elections, Matonga said.

Voters are tired of the dire economic situation in the country and the international sanctions on Zimbabwe, Matonga said, and don’t want to make things any worse by engaging in violence.

There is no time to fight. It’s not about fighting. It’s about addressing the issues, Matonga said.

Mugabe’s party is in disarray, split between those who think Mugabe should gracefully step down and those who say he should fight to stay in office, a party member said. Mugabe has been in power since Zimbabwe became independent 28 years ago.

The MDC barely beat Mugabe’s party in parliamentary elections, according to official results. The state-run newspaper, The Herald, reported that it was a photo finish, with MDC taking 99 seats and Zanu-PF 97. A look at the candidates

With no presidential results, Zimbabweans were nervous, said Dzikamai Machingura, the national director of ZimRights, a human rights group.

Asked how the situation is affecting residents, he said, Well, with regard to the election results … I will tell you that, typically, people are driving to work. They get to work and they sit at their desks. They do no productive work because all their minds are elsewhere.

Another Zimbabwean said, People are just anxious because they’re wondering whether the results are actually, really going to come out for the presidential race. I think because it’s taken such a long time, there’s a lot of anxiety, he said.

There were more reports of violence Friday, and police continued to hold two Americans, including a New York Times journalist, Casey said. The Zimbabwean government has denied cracking down on journalists and the opposition. Watch as journalist describes her arrest

Members of the Zimbabwe Peace Project said Friday that they had received reports that two homes had been burned in the Mudzi District of Mashonaland East Province, and they blamed the incidents on government retribution for those who backed opposition candidates. See photos from the country’s elections

Peace Project Executive Director Jestina Mukoko said the homes belonged to people who campaigned for an MDC candidate in the parliamentary election.

As the delay for the release of the election results prolong, we expect to get more reports of this retribution, the director said.

Once revered as the breadbasket of southern Africa with good education and healthcare, Zimbabwe now has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world, schooling is a luxury and it is difficult to get even basic food supplies.

Inflation has skyrocketed to more than 100,000 percent; food production and agricultural exports have dropped drastically.
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Dozens of children removed from polygamist ranch

ELDORADO, Texas (CNN) — Authorities say they removed 52 children, ages 6 months to 17 years, from a West Texas ranch occupied by followers of imprisoned polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs.

Eighteen girls have been placed in the temporary custody of the state under a court order, said Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner.

Authorities said they continue to search the 1,900-acre YFZ ranch, and at least one suspect is being sought by police.

Meisner said troopers and child welfare officials arrived at the secluded ranch Thursday evening with arrest and search warrants. They were responding to a report of physical abuse and neglect involving a 16-year-old girl. Watch an Eldorado neighbor talk about the raid

Another Child Protective Services spokesman, Darrell Azar, said the 18 girls were placed in state custody because it appeared they had been abused or were at immediate risk of future abuse.

Law enforcement and child welfare officials were at the ranch all night Thursday and throughout Friday. Meisner said the search was expected to continue into the night.

No arrests had been made by early Friday evening, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman said in a recorded message.

According to the search warrant, authorities are seeking Dale Barlow, 50, who they suspect of having married and fathered a child with a 16-year-old girl.

Law enforcement agencies raided the ranch Thursday night after receiving a Monday report that a 16-year-old girl had been sexually and physically abused, said Azar.

The warrant cited an immediate need for authorities to have access to the 16-year-old and an 8-month-old child with either the last name of Barlow or the girl’s last name. It instructs law enforcement officers to look for any records showing Barlow and the girl were married and any evidence of them having a child.

The children were taken in two borrowed church buses from the ranch to a civic center near Eldorado.

The people living at the ranch are cooperating, authorities said.

Jeffs, the 52-year-old leader and prophet of the 10,000-member church, was convicted in Utah last year and sentenced to 10 years on two counts of being an accomplice to rape, charges related to a marriage he performed in 2001. He faces trial in Arizona on eight charges of sexual conduct with a minor, incest and conspiracy.

Jeffs’ Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints bought the land near Eldorado four years ago and built the ranch, which they call the YFZ Ranch. The letters are said to refer to the words Yearning for Zion.

It is home to as many as 400 members who relocated from their Arizona and Utah compounds.

State and local law enforcement agencies set up roadblocks around the ranch Thursday evening, preventing journalists from seeing what was happening on the property, according to Randy Mankin, editor of the Eldorado Success weekly newspaper.

This came totally out of the blue, Mankin said.

There were no indications of violence around the ranch, he said.

When CNN crews have visited the ranch, it was guarded by armed men equipped with night vision gear and other high-tech surveillance tools to prevent intruders.

When CNN flew over the ranch in a small plane last year, the crew saw a massive temple, the three-story housing units where Jeffs’ chosen followers live, the water tower, the school and community center, the dairy and cheese factory and a massive concrete mill.

The church openly practices polygamy in two towns straddling the Arizona-Utah state line — Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona — but members living on their Texas ranch rarely venture into Eldorado, four miles to the south.

Critics of the sect say that it arranges marriages for girls as young as 13 and that competition for brides may be reduced through exiling young men. If male followers are excommunicated, the critics claim, their wives and children can be reassigned to someone else.
found here.

Dozens of children removed from polygamist ranch

ELDORADO, Texas (CNN) — Authorities say they removed 52 children, ages 6 months to 17 years, from a West Texas ranch occupied by followers of imprisoned polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs.

Eighteen girls have been placed in the temporary custody of the state under a court order, said Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner.

Authorities said they continue to search the 1,900-acre YFZ ranch, and at least one suspect is being sought by police.

Meisner said troopers and child welfare officials arrived at the secluded ranch Thursday evening with arrest and search warrants. They were responding to a report of physical abuse and neglect involving a 16-year-old girl. Watch an Eldorado neighbor talk about the raid

Another Child Protective Services spokesman, Darrell Azar, said the 18 girls were placed in state custody because it appeared they had been abused or were at immediate risk of future abuse.

Law enforcement and child welfare officials were at the ranch all night Thursday and throughout Friday. Meisner said the search was expected to continue into the night.

No arrests had been made by early Friday evening, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman said in a recorded message.

According to the search warrant, authorities are seeking Dale Barlow, 50, who they suspect of having married and fathered a child with a 16-year-old girl.

Law enforcement agencies raided the ranch Thursday night after receiving a Monday report that a 16-year-old girl had been sexually and physically abused, said Azar.

The warrant cited an immediate need for authorities to have access to the 16-year-old and an 8-month-old child with either the last name of Barlow or the girl’s last name. It instructs law enforcement officers to look for any records showing Barlow and the girl were married and any evidence of them having a child.

The children were taken in two borrowed church buses from the ranch to a civic center near Eldorado.

The people living at the ranch are cooperating, authorities said.

Jeffs, the 52-year-old leader and prophet of the 10,000-member church, was convicted in Utah last year and sentenced to 10 years on two counts of being an accomplice to rape, charges related to a marriage he performed in 2001. He faces trial in Arizona on eight charges of sexual conduct with a minor, incest and conspiracy.

Jeffs’ Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints bought the land near Eldorado four years ago and built the ranch, which they call the YFZ Ranch. The letters are said to refer to the words Yearning for Zion.

It is home to as many as 400 members who relocated from their Arizona and Utah compounds.

State and local law enforcement agencies set up roadblocks around the ranch Thursday evening, preventing journalists from seeing what was happening on the property, according to Randy Mankin, editor of the Eldorado Success weekly newspaper.

This came totally out of the blue, Mankin said.

There were no indications of violence around the ranch, he said.

When CNN crews have visited the ranch, it was guarded by armed men equipped with night vision gear and other high-tech surveillance tools to prevent intruders.

When CNN flew over the ranch in a small plane last year, the crew saw a massive temple, the three-story housing units where Jeffs’ chosen followers live, the water tower, the school and community center, the dairy and cheese factory and a massive concrete mill.

The church openly practices polygamy in two towns straddling the Arizona-Utah state line — Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona — but members living on their Texas ranch rarely venture into Eldorado, four miles to the south.

Critics of the sect say that it arranges marriages for girls as young as 13 and that competition for brides may be reduced through exiling young men. If male followers are excommunicated, the critics claim, their wives and children can be reassigned to someone else.
found here.