JURIST - Paper Chase: Zimbabwe police arrest opposition supporters after strike staged

[JURIST] Zimbabwean police have arrested more than 50 members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) [party website] after the party called for a strike to protest the nondisclosure of the results of the March 29 presidential elections [JURIST report], a party spokesperson said Wednesday. Zimbabwe police say that only 30 opposition supporters were arrested for blocking roads and traffic and attempting to intimidate people from going to work after police announced a ban on all political rallies [JURIST report] Friday. The strike apparently had an insignificant impact, with most businesses remaining open.

On Monday, the High Court of Zimbabwe rejected a bid by MDC to compel the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission (ZEC) to immediately release the results of the election [JURIST reports]. On Sunday, the High Court ordered the ZEC to refrain from recounting the results [JURIST report] of the elections until the presidential poll results are announced. Independent observers say that MDC candidate Morgan Tsvangirai [BBC profile] won more votes than Mugabe but likely not enough to reach the 50 percent plus one needed for outright victory. BBC News has more. AFP has additional coverage.

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