Intimidation expected in Zimbabwe runoff

Witnesses in townships surrounding the capital said army troops and police were on patrol and militants ordered market stalls and bars to close by dusk.

In well-to-do suburbs, sports clubs and restaurants were warned to close by early evening. "We're not taking bookings tonight, and in any case all week our regulars didn't want to be out after dark. It's that tense," said one restaurant manager.

Kubatana, an independent information Web site, said Mugabe supporters were manning roadblocks on main streets and highways. Witnesses reported nine checkpoints on a 120-mile stretch of highway from the eastern city of Mutare, five manned only by militants.

Mugabe supporters were intimidating voters, warning them to turn out in large numbers to give Mugabe a landslide win, Kubatana quoted residents as saying. It said anyone without indelible ink stains from polling stations on their fingers would be seen as boycotting the vote in support of Tsvangirai's withdrawal.

Mugabe officials were also demanding voters write down the serial numbers of their ballot papers so their votes could be checked later, the Web site said. It said village elders said they would log the names of voters at polling stations to cast their ballots, and voters who didn't show up would be punished.

U.S. Ambassador James McGee said in a statement that the embassy had also received reports that Mugabe's party "will force people to vote on Friday and take action against those who refuse."

Independent monitors not cleared
The main independent local election observer group, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, said Thursday it was unable to field monitors because they had not been accredited. It said Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, who is also chief spokesman for Mugabe's party, restricted it to only 500 monitors for the runoff, but failed to clear them for accreditation.

In the first round of voting, the group deployed several thousand monitors and was the biggest independent body observing at about 9,000 polling stations.

Tsvangirai came in first in a field of four in the first round of voting, but did not get the majority needed to avoid a runoff against Mugabe. That campaign was generally peaceful, but the runoff has been overshadowed by violence and intimidation, especially in rural areas.

Independent human rights groups say 85 people have died and tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes, most of them opposition supporters.

More from msnbc.com Racist webcam? TheGrio's test says no View an interactive, HD panorama of N.Y.'s 30 Rock Scoop: No Tiger cub on way for Rachel Uchitel Census workers wanted, local roots preferred Cosmic Log: Decades of future science Answer Desk: Gold may be riskier than it seems Send your holiday pictures to troops

MORE FROM AFRICA

Africa Section Front

US professor among 5 sentenced to die in Ethiopia Last of rare rhinos moved in bid to breed Doctor's mission to save Ethiopian kids' hearts Malawi appeals for international help after quake Africa Section Front   Add Africa headlines to your news reader: