Zimbabwe opposition 'to test violence'

Previous rallies have been well-supported

Zimbabwe's main opposition party is planning to step up its anti-government rallies to see whether there has been any reduction in political violence.

"We will test the waters and if there are any incidents of violence, this is what is going to make the elections free and fair or not," said Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

The party says 23 of its supporters, including several white farmers, have been killed since the current trouble began in February.

Scores more activists have been beaten or intimidated.

All the MDC's prospective candidates met near Harare on Saturday, to be briefed on the campaign ahead.

Morgan Tsvangirai: No one is safe

Many have never contested an election before. The party itself was formed only last year.

Mr Tsvangirai said he hoped the deployment of international observers for next month's elections would reduce the violence.

But he voiced concern over the fragile situation.

"We know there is a violence all around us. No one is safe," he said.

Policies

Mr Tsvangirai said the main aim of the meeting was to discuss policies and the party's approach to the election.

"We are discussing what message to give to the people going into the campaign," he said.

However, he said the MDC would not release its final list of candidates for the poll, because it had not been notified of the boundaries of the 120 constituencies.

Chenjerai Hunzvi: Zanu-PF Candidate

The ruling Zanu-PF has also been gearing up its election campaign, with a series of rallies around the country.

War veterans' leader Chenjerai Hunzvi, who is among the prospective candidates, was due to hit the election trail a day after he was fined and given a suspended sentence for refusing to stop the illegal land invasions.

Farmers' leaders said on Saturday that another 13 farms had been occupied. More than 1,200 have been invaded by squatters since the unrest began.