HARARE, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's opposition political party called a nationwide strike Tuesday after the country's High Court rejected an appeal for the immediate release of delayed presidential election results.
The court's decision dashed hopes for an end to Zimbabwe's paralyzing political crisis. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he won the March 29 election outright and has accused President Robert Mugabe of holding back the results to try to maintain his 28-year grip in power. Independent tallies show Tsvangirai won, but did not receive enough votes to prevent a runoff.
Police have banned all political rallies and Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change said that Tuesday's action would be a quiet "stay away,'' not a raucous strike with street protests.
"Every Zimbabwean should stay at home until (the electoral commission) announces the results for the presidential poll,'' MDC spokesman Nqobizitha Mlilo said in a statement.
There had been little publicity of the strike ahead of Tuesday and morning traffic was typically heavy in the capital as stores and businesses looked to be opening as usual.
The state-run newspaper called the strike an "illegal'' action and said that police plan to "deal severely with anyone who breaches the law.''
Assistant Police Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena was quoted as saying in the Herald: "The National Reaction Force has been activated'' to beef up the number of police to protect Zimbabweans who want to go to work as usual.
It was unclear what impact a work stoppage would have in an economically ravaged country that has 80 per cent unemployment. Past strike calls have been met with resistance by impoverished workers who can't afford to lose even one day's wages in a country with surging inflation.
Another court hearing was scheduled for Tuesday to hear an opposition petition opposing plans to recount the results of 23 parliamentary races, all but one of them won by the MDC.
The opposition, which won a slim majority in the 210-member legislature for the first time in Zimbabwe's history, fears a recount will be used to rig the vote and overturn its victory.
Since the vote, ruling party militants have waged a campaign of violence against opposition supporters ahead of a possible second round of voting, the opposition and human rights groups said.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said Monday it had documented at least 130 attacks on opposition or independent poll monitors. Two people have been killed and 29 hospitalized with serious injuries, director Irene Petras said.
Tsvangirai's MDC had hoped the court -- although stacked with Mugabe loyalists -- would force the election commission to release the results after a 16-day wait. The commission, which published results for parliamentary and local elections within several days of the election, said it can't release the presidential results until it investigates electoral anomalies.
In rejecting the opposition petition, the court ruled Monday that the commission's explanation was "legally valid,'' and said the electoral body "has not strayed from the law.''
Tsvangirai expressed disappointment with the ruling and accused the election commission of working for the ruling party.
"Now, for the next three or four weeks, (the commission) will drag the time, while people get beaten and while a new electoral environment is being created,'' he told South Africa's independent e-tv station.
Government spokesman Bright Matonga praised the court ruling and dismissed charges the court was biased. "The electoral commission should be allowed to do its job,'' he said.
On Monday, the United States reiterated its call for the results to be released immediately.
