Zambia to host summit in hope of breaking poll deadlock

THE Zimbabwe opposition’s bid to build up pressure on Robert Mugabe, after disputed polls bore fruit yesterday as plans were unveiled for a weekend summit to discuss the escalating crisis.

While opposition chief Morgan Tsvangirai toured the region, urging leaders to prevent Zimbabwe from sliding into chaos, the president of neighbouring Zambia said he would gather his peers for talks on Saturday aimed at breaking the deadlock, which has persisted since the March 29 polls.

Eleven days on from polling, there has still been no word on the outcome of the presidential election, with officials maintaining the line that they are still busy collating and verifying the votes.