Bob wags finger at Morgan

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe wrapped up his election campaign yesterday with a warning to rival Morgan Tsvangirai that he would be arrested if he violated electoral laws.

He made the threat just hours after the arrest of another leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, deputy national chairman Morgan Komichi.

Komichi was arrested in connection with a ballot paper the MDC had shown at a press conference as proof that Zanu-PF had rigged the special votes for soldiers and the police two weeks ago.

The MDC claimed to have found the ballot paper, which had a vote for Tsvangirai, dumped in a bin.

Tsvangirai condemned Komichi's arrest and asked why the police had taken him in instead of questioning the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission about how the marked ballot had been discarded.

MDC organising secretary Nelson Chamisa said Komichi was being held at Harare Central police station.

"They want him to tell them who gave the ballot paper to the MDC . This affects the credibility of the elections," said Chamisa.

But, at the National Sports Stadium, in Harare, where Zanu-PF held its final rally ahead of Wednesday's vote, Mugabe warned Tsvangirai not to follow through on his threat to announce the election results himself if they were delayed.

"If you breach the rule of law and become a law-breaker, the police will arrest you as a law-breaker," said Mugabe.

"Where will you get the results you want to announce? Will they be written for you by your own people? What kind of madness is that?

"You will be arrested if you break the law . it is not allowed . not even a prime minister can do that," said Mugabe, speaking in Shona.

By law, only an electoral commission official can announce election results.

In a show of force, Zanu-PF bused in thousands of supporters to the 60000-seat stadium.

But the near-capacity crowd began to diminish as Mugabe went into his 99 minute off-the-cuff speech, dwelling on the historic struggle for freedom as opposed to what his party would do in the next five years if he were re-elected.

The 89-year-old has been in power for 33 years and is seeking re-election.

He labelled Tsvangirai a puppet of Western powers.

"We clenched our fist at the white man and not at the black man.

"As much as we would like to beat-up Tsvangirai, we will not use our fists but our votes. Vote with peace. Peace, peace, peace," said Mugabe.

He derided the MDC leader as a "cry baby" for attacking African Union commission chairman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Tsvangirai had accused Dlamini-Zuma of "misleading" Zimbabweans when she told a press conference that Zimbabwe's political leadership was satisfied with the preparations for the elections.

On Wednesday, Zimbabweans will vote for a president, members of parliament and local councillors.

It will be the first election since the chaotic 2008 poll, which was marred by the killing of political activists, other violence, and intimidation of opposition supporters.

Tsvangirai and his party are to hold their final rally in Harare today.