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Harare: Zimbabwe's Christian community has rejected President Robert Mugabe's re-election last month as marred by violence and intimidation and expressed support for efforts to form a government of national unity.
In a statement obtained yesterday, the heads of all the churches in the predominantly Christian country said the race between Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was marked by the worst violence since independence in 1980.
Mugabe won a landslide victory last month in a vote that was ultimately boycotted by Tsvangirai and denounced by Western nations. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change says pro-Mugabe militia have killed at least 113 of its supporters.
"We, the churches of Zimbabwe, stand ready and committed to partner with all efforts that will result in a transitional authority and subsequently a government of national unity, to bring peace stability and reconciliation within the nation," the statement said.
The 84-year-old Zimbabwean leader, in power since the end of British rule, blames the opposition for the bloodshed.
"People were subjected to the most traumatic forms of violence that included torture, murder, abductions, displacement and psychological trauma," the heads said.
"Based on the reality of the conditions prevailing on the ground, our conclusion is that the will of the people of Zimbabwe was not given authentic expression during these elections," said the statement.
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