Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has vowed to press ahead with Friday's run-off presidential election despite growing international condemnation.

Speaking to supporters, he said London and Washington could "shout as loud as they like" but the vote would be held.

South Africa's governing ANC party has accused his government of "riding roughshod" over democracy, while the UN has said a fair poll is "impossible".

Zimbabwe's opposition has withdrawn from the poll amid mounting violence.

The Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) regional bloc is due to hold an emergency summit on Wednesday on Zimbabwe's political crisis, reports said.

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Mugabe slams Britain in celebratory speech ... opposition Movement for Democratic Change, led by Morgan Tsvangirai, said it had confirmed in writing on Tuesday its withdrawal from the presidential race.

The MDC says some 86 supporters have been killed and 200,000 forced from their homes by Zanu-PF militias. The ruling Zanu-PF party blames the MDC for the violence.

'Compelling evidence'

Speaking at a rally in the town of Banket, Mr Mugabe said: "They can shout as loud as they like from Washington or from London or from any other quarter. Our people, our people, only our people will decide and nobody else."

He accused Mr Tsvangirai of pulling out of the election because he became frightened of losing when he saw "a political hurricane coming his way".

The US Ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, said the UN Security Council would consider further steps against Zimbabwe if Harare ignored its concerns, but did not specify what the steps might be.

The UN Security Council on Monday unanimously agreed to condemn the violence in Zimbabwe and said a free and fair run-off election would be "impossible".

South Africa's governing ANC party added its voice to growing international criticism of Mr Mugabe's government on Tuesday.

It was "deeply dismayed by the actions of the Zimbabwean government - which is riding roughshod over hard-won democratic rights", the party said.

It referred to "compelling evidence of violence, intimidation and outright terror".

The BBC's Peter Biles in Johannesburg says that coming from South Africa - the most powerful country in the region - the ANC statement is a further sign of Mr Mugabe's growing isolation.

South African President Thabo Mbeki has been adopting a policy of "quiet diplomacy" towards Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, Mr Tsvangirai said he might leave the Dutch embassy in Harare on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Mr Tsvangirai, who took refuge there on Sunday night, hours after pulling out of this Friday's vote, said the Dutch ambassador had received assurances from the Zimbabwean authorities about his safety.

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, in a statement about his attempts to mediate in Zimbabwe, said Mr Tsvangirai had been fleeing soldiers when he took refuge.

In other developments on Tuesday:

• Robert Mugabe, quoted by the pro-government Herald newspaper, accused Western countries of "telling a lot of lies about Zimbabwe" in order to justify an intervention
• Former UN High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina Paddy Ashdown, a British politician, warned Zimbabwe's violence could descend into genocide like that in Rwanda in 1994
• The International Cricket Council said it would consider whether to ban Zimbabwe from international cricket at a meeting in Dubai next week
• An African election observer, who does not want to be named, told the BBC torture was "the order of the day" in Zimbabwe
• A BBC reporter in Bulawayo, south-west of Harare, reported that members of an MDC faction had this week been ambushing and attacking pro-Zanu-PF, so-called war veterans in the area

The MDC won the parliamentary vote in March, and claims to have won the first round of the presidential contest outright.

According to official results, Mr Tsvangirai was ahead of Mr Mugabe but failed to gain enough votes to avoid a run-off.

Are you in Zimbabwe? Have you been affected by the violence? Tell us what's happening where you are using the form below or by text on +44 7786 20 50 85 - and let us know if you do not want your full name to be published.

(BBC)

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