Zimbabwe's MDC shuns Georgia path

Zimbabwe's economy is collapsing

The main opposition party in Zimbabwe has ruled out a "Georgia-style" removal of President Robert Mugabe's government.

Officials of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), currently in South Africa, said they were committed to constitutional, democratic change.

The party has repeatedly organised protests designed to drive Mr Mugabe from power.

Its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, faces two counts of treason.

The MDC has challenged the results of the 2002 elections, in which Mr Mugabe's party, Zanu-PF, was declared winners in court.

'Not an option'

For the first time, South Africa's ruling African National Congress has invited Zimbabwe's main opposition group to brief MPs on developments in Harare.

"Is it an option to overthrow the state Georgia-style? It is certainly not an option for us. We are absolutely committed to the constitutional and democratic path," MDC spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi told South Africa's parliament's foreign affairs committee.

He was referring to mass protests that forced the former Soviet republic's president, Eduardo Shevardnadze, to resign over the weekend.

Mr Nyathi said Zimbabwe needed solidarity from its neighbours and called for pressure on Mr Mugabe to move negotiations on the country's future forward.

Ballot rigging

A former military officer has confessed how he rigged last year's presidential elections in favour of Mr Mugabe.

Herbert Ndlovu, who was until August this year a lieutenant in the national army, gave the first sworn account of vote-rigging.

He described how, along with a colleague and four clerks, they were ordered to fill in possibly thousands of ballot papers on behalf of members of the armed forces, all in favour of President Mugabe.

"There was a list of names of those people who were to have their ballot papers filled, then I'll put an 'x' next to President Robert Mugabe and the clerk on my right will use the other form to fill in the details of that particular person, imitate the signatures of those people," said Mr Ndlovu, who is now on the run from authorities.

The former officer and another lieutenant, Promise Tshuma, left the army and revealed their story after the torture they endured when they were accused of being opposition sympathisers.

Mr Ndlovu said he was electrocuted and beaten for two weeks. He was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.

The two said morale in the army was low, with many senior officers being given farms to maintain their loyalty.