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Mugabe 'could lose Zimbabwe poll' Tsvangirai 'surprised' by support
(about 6 hours later)
A former loyalist of Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe has spoken openly about the possibility that he be defeated in Saturday's presidential election. Zimbabwe's main opposition leader has said he has been surprised at the level of support he has received while out campaigning for Saturday's elections.
Morgan Tsvangirai told the BBC he felt President Robert Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF party may find it difficult to counter "the upsurge on the ground".
But he said it would be another thing altogether to defeat the government.
Earlier, a former Mugabe loyalist spoke openly about the possibility that the president might be defeated in poll.
Former Education Minister Fay Chung told the BBC that the two main rivals could win if voters were "courageous enough to come out in large numbers".Former Education Minister Fay Chung told the BBC that the two main rivals could win if voters were "courageous enough to come out in large numbers".
Ms Chung said that "if you have millions coming out to vote, it will be very difficult to rig" the election. The independent presidential candidate, former Finance Minister Simba Makoni, meanwhile complained he had been unable to place adverts in the state media.
Ms Chung is now a Senatorial candidate allied to the independent Simba Makoni. 'Manipulation'
Earlier, Mr Makoni, a former finance minister and senior member of Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, complained that he had been unable to place adverts in the state media. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Tsvangirai expressed his surprise at the level of support he had received, particularly in rural areas, while campaigning for this weekend's local, Senate, House of Assembly and presidential elections.
I hear people saying... 'We are being abused. If we keep on electing the same government, we will continue to be abused' Fay ChungFormer Education Minister "I have no doubt that we have overwhelming support. In fact, the Zanu-PF may actually find it difficult to suppress... the upsurge on the ground."
The comments came as rights group Amnesty International said opposition supporters were being harassed ahead of the elections on Saturday. Nevertheless, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said he remained pessimistic about translating popular support into electoral victories.
Over the weekend, air traffic control authorities grounded a helicopter hired by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), preventing its presidential candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, from addressing party rallies. OPPOSITION POLL CONCERNS Surplus ballot papers printedPresidential votes counted centrallyTens of thousands of "ghost voters"Police allowed inside polling stationsMore polling stations in rural areasState media biasFood aid only given to Zanu-PF supportersChiefs used to campaign for Zanu-PF class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7307576.stm">Campaign in pictures class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/7312965.stm">Regional campaign round-up class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/7293810.stm">Q&A: Zimbabwe elections
"This is the crisis we faced in 2002 and 2005," he said. "Although we had the support of the people, we didn't manage to win the election."
"This manipulation undermines the will of the people. This time around, we hope that we are able to mitigate against some of the possible manipulation."
The US and the EU have accused Mr Mugabe of rigging previous elections - charges he has denied. Western monitors have been barred from this election.
Mr Tsvangirai said that if he was elected president, the people of Zimbabwe would be given the chance to rewrite their constitution.
He also called for new policies to address Zimbabwe's economic crisis, which has seen the country's annual inflation rate hit 100,000% - the world's highest.
'Gordian knot''Gordian knot'
In an interview with the BBC, Ms Chung said that Mr Makoni's decision last month to stand against President Mugabe because of what he described as a "failure of national leadership" had begun a "period of change" in Zimbabwe. Earlier, a former government minister told the BBC that Mr Mugabe might not be able to prevent one of the two main opposition candidates from winning the presidential election.
Opposition rallies have been allowed in rural areas "I think the issue is whether the electorate is going to be brave or courageous enough to come out in large numbers, because I think the rigging of the election has been possible when there were small numbers dividing votes," Ms Chung said.
I hear people saying... 'We are being abused. If we keep on electing the same government, we will continue to be abused' Fay ChungFormer Education Minister
"But if you have millions coming out to vote, it will be very difficult to rig. If the polling agents and the observers are very watchful, it will become more difficult."
Ms Chung, a Senatorial candidate now allied to the Simba Makoni, conceded that "there are a lot of 'ifs'", but insisted that Zimbabweans were desperate for change after 28 years of Mr Mugabe.
"I hear people saying... 'We are being abused. If we keep on electing the same government, we will continue to be abused'," she added. "So the question is: will they vote for the MDC or Simba's movement?"
Ms Chung said Mr Makoni's decision last month to stand against the president because of what he described as a "failure of national leadership" had begun a "period of change" in Zimbabwe.
"The steps taken by Simba Makoni have broken a Gordian Knot in which we were so tightly strung that we did not know how to get out of it," she told Radio 4's World Tonight programme."The steps taken by Simba Makoni have broken a Gordian Knot in which we were so tightly strung that we did not know how to get out of it," she told Radio 4's World Tonight programme.
"I think that whether he wins or not - I think he will win - he has changed the political geography of the country.""I think that whether he wins or not - I think he will win - he has changed the political geography of the country."
Ms Chung, who left the Zimbabwean government in the early 1990s and then spent 10 years working for the United Nations, said that Mr Mugabe obviously did not want to let the opposition candidates win, but may not be able to prevent it. Ms Chung also acknowledged there was a potential for violence similar to that witnessed after the Kenyan presidential election last year, regardless of the result.
"I think the issue is whether the electorate is going to be brave or courageous enough to come out in large numbers, because I think the rigging of the election has been possible when there were small numbers dividing votes," she said.
"But if you have millions coming out to vote, it will be very difficult to rig. If the polling agents and the observers are very watchful, it will become more difficult."
OPPOSITION POLL CONCERNS Surplus ballot papers printedPresidential votes counted centrallyTens of thousands of "ghost voters"Police allowed inside polling stationsMore polling stations in rural areasState media biasFood aid only given to Zanu-PF supportersChiefs used to campaign for Zanu-PF Campaign in picturesRegional campaign round-upQ&A: Zimbabwe elections
The US and the European Union have accused Mr Mugabe of rigging previous elections - charges he has denied. Western monitors have been barred from this election.
Ms Chung conceded that "there are a lot of 'ifs'", but said the opposition had so far been allowed to campaign more freely than in past elections and stressed that Zimbabweans were desperate for change after 28 years of Mr Mugabe.
"I hear people saying... 'We are being abused. If we keep on electing the same government, we will continue to be abused'," she added.
"So the question is: will they vote for the MDC or Simba's movement?"
Ms Chung acknowledged there was a potential for violence similar to that witnessed after the Kenyan presidential election last year, regardless of the result.