Zimbabwe sees fresh vote delay as violence rises

By MacDonald Dzirutwe

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe announced a delay in the partial recount of its disputed March 29 election on Sunday, extending a political deadlock in which the opposition says 10 of its members have been killed and hundreds arrested.

The delay increased opposition concern about possible vote-rigging by veteran President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party. The recount could overturn the results of the parliamentary election, which showed ZANU-PF losing its majority to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) for the first time.

Results of the parallel presidential election have not been released, but MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he has won.

"I can confirm that 10 of our members have died, four of them in the last few days, due to political violence perpetrated by ruling party supporters in the aftermath of the elections," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said.

Amid mounting regional concern about instability and bloodshed, the 53-member African Union urged Zimbabwe to release the election results immediately, and called for restraint from all parties.

African leaders have come under international pressure to take strong action to help resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe, a once prosperous country whose economy is in ruins, beset with 165,000 percent inflation and mass unemployment.

"The African Union wishes to express its concern over the delay observed in the announcement of Zimbabwe's election results, which creates an atmosphere of tension," the AU said.

"The African Union therefore urges competent authorities of the Republic of Zimbabwe to announce the results without any further delay, in transparency, thus contributing, inter alia, to reducing the prevailing tension."