The Chinese view:

Zimbabwe police reaffirm zero tolerance to violence_English_Xinhua

HARARE, June 22 (Xinhua) — Police in Zimbabwe have reaffirmed zero tolerance to violence before, after and during the June 27 presidential run-off elections, local media reported on Sunday.

The Commissioner General of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Augustine Chihuri, said the MDC-T party and its leadership are to blame for causing political violence in the country.

Commissioner General Chihuri chronicled some of the incidents of political violence perpetrated by the MDC-T from the time of the launch of the opposition party’s campaign in Mutare.

He said the force is intensifying deployment of officers ahead of the presidential election run off on Friday.

Meanwhile, a total of 390 MDC-T activists and 156 Zanu PF supporters have been arrested in connection with political violence.

Police have reaffirmed their commitment for zero tolerance on political violence, adding that necessary force will be applied to maintain peace.

Several war veterans and Zanu PF supporters have been killed in Mashonaland east, Manicaland and Masvingo by suspected MDC thugs since the announcement of the results of the March elections.

And then there’s the view of the rest of the world:

Mugabe’s rival Tsvangirai pulls out of election

By Nelson Banya
Reuters
Sunday, June 22, 2008; 10:08 AM

HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of a run-off election against President Robert Mugabe on Sunday, saying a free and fair poll was impossible in the current climate of violence.

Speaking only hours after his opposition Movement for Democratic Change reported its rally had been broken up by pro-Mugabe youth militia, Tsvangirai called on the United Nations and the African Union to intervene to stop “genocide” in the former British colony.

MDC hopes poll pull-out spurs outside action: official

HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change hopes its withdrawal from the June 27 presidential run-off election will prompt “more serious action” from the United Nations, African Union and regional body SADC, an MDC official said on condition of anonymity.

MDC sources said on Sunday that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai would announce that he was pulling out of the run-off with President Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai will hold a press conference in Harare later on Sunday.

(Reporting by Nelson Banya; editing by Paul Simao)

New wave of attacks on Zimbabwe opposition ratchets up the death toll

As the runoff election nears, Robert Mugabe’s regime unleashes violence in urban areas near the capital. A rights group says there have been at least 85 deaths since the March 29 vote.

By a Times Staff Writer
June 22, 2008

HARARE, ZIMBABWE — Still and silent in the darkness last week, opposition activist Sebastian Chipiyo hid in a smelly outhouse, listening, he said, to the agonized shrieks of his brother, Archiford, being beaten just yards away by a mob of ruling party thugs. His colleague, Question Dingo, hid in the hen coop. Others roosted silently in the trees, all listening, terrified.

“I could hear the sound of the beating. It sounded like they were using heavy objects. You could hear it: Bam! Bam!” said Chipiyo, 25. “It was very painful to hear my brother crying. I couldn’t do anything because these guys were carrying guns. We heard him crying, ‘You’ve killed me; you’ve broken my ribs.’

Mugabe rival quits election race

Morgan Tsvangirai announces he will not take part in a presidential run-off, 22/06/08

Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he is pulling out of Friday’s presidential run-off, handing victory to President Robert Mugabe.

Mr Tsvangirai said there was no point running when elections would not be free and fair and “the outcome is determined by… Mugabe himself”.

He called on the global community to step in to prevent “genocide”.

But the ruling Zanu-PF said Mr Tsvangirai had taken the decision to avoid “humiliation” in the poll.

The opposition decision came after its supporters, heading to a rally in the capital Harare, came under attack.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change says at least 70 supporters have been killed in recent months.

Here’s a bit more information on the original election and the aftermath of violence – it appears that at least 120,000 “ghost” votes were somehow added to the final tally, which was officially announced (after a long, long delay) as “not an outright win” for Tsvangirai. Each polling place posted the total number of votes for each candidate, and it was a simple matter to collect the data (as it was posted online by several observing groups, so it could be verified). All the counts pointed toward an outright victory, but in the end, the count was mysteriously short.

Which view is likelier to be the true one? China is a major trade partner for Zimbabwe, and almost their only friend outside of Africa.

I’m sad to read that Tsvangirai is pulling out. This is a sad day for the people of Zimbabwe, and the world weeps for them (except for China, of course).