EU fears Kenya-style riots in Zim

Brussels - Europeans fear that Zimbabwe can descend into the kind of post-election violence seen in Kenya if the electoral impasse there persists, says a European diplomat."We are very concerned that the results of the presidential election have still not been published nine days after the vote, that raises suspicions," said the diplomat close to European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana."The scenarios are very similar in the two countries," she added.Kenya suffered its worst post-independence political crisis after the vote count was delayed after the December 27 presidential poll. Incumbent president Mwai Kibaki pipped pre-election frontrunner Raila Odinga to retain the top job.Odinga accused the 76-year-old Kibaki of rigging the results, sparking nationwide riots, which descended into violence and left at least 1 500 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.In Zimbabwe, where President Robert Mugabe was seeking to stay in power, there was increasing pressure for the official vote results to be published and "each day that passes makes things more difficult", the source said.The EU had nonetheless opted for a "discreet diplomacy" involving contact with countries in the region, notably South Africa, Botswana and Tanzania, which heads the African Union.On Monday, a high court judge in Zimbabwe postponed his ruling on an opposition bid to force the declaration of presidential election results, as Mugabe stoked tensions ahead of a possible run-off.Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai claimed outright victory in the March 29 poll, but the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front said there was no clear winner and had endorsed President Mugabe for a second-round vote.
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/0,,2-11-1662_2301826,00.html

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