Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, Wednesday announced a boycott of all national and local elections until "tangible" reforms were implemented by 80-year- old President Robert Mugabe in line with guidelines and principles adopted at the recent Southern African Development Community summit in Mauritius. The national executive of the party, led by veteran trade unionist Morgan Tsvangirai, issued a statement immediately after a meeting at which it voted on the move, which comes after more than four years of political violence in which hundreds of opposition supporters have been killed by state funded "war veterans" and youth militia. In addition, 14 white farmers have died during violent seizure of 5,000 properties for "fast track" redistribution to black Zimbabweans. Some 500,000 black farm workers and their families have been left jobless and homeless and 2.5 million Zimbabweans need food aid to survive. The MDC, which won 57 of the 120 elected parliamentary seats at the June 2000 parliamentary elections, challenges 30 more seats won by Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party, on the grounds of gross irregularities including intimidation and rigging, and also disputes Mugabe's claim to another six-year term in the March 2002 presidential elections. --MORE 2235 Local Time 1935 GMT
