200806241804 | Mugabe's legitimacy challenged

Mugabe's legitimacy challenged

Washington - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Monday that Zimbabwe's government cannot be considered legitimate without a fair run-off in its presidential election.

The statement comes a day after Zimbabwe opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of the run-off because of violence and harassment against his supporters.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the government of Zimbabwe's continuing campaign of violence against its own people," Rice said in a statement.

After pulling out on Sunday, Tsvangirai declared that the presidential election was no longer credible and said that too many of his supporters had died.

"The Mugabe regime cannot be considered legitimate in the absence of a run-off," Rice said.

"In forsaking the most basic tenet of governance, the protection of its people, the government of Zimbabwe must be held accountable by the international community."

White House press secretary Dana Perino said that the United States understood Tsvangirai's decision to withdraw.

"He's trying to protect people of his own party from being put in jail needlessly and possibly even being killed," she said.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, whose party has been blamed for much of the violence, is now likely to continue his 28-year rule.

The United States plans to seek wider condemnation of the government in a meeting of the United Nations Security Council Monday.