Zimbabwe will stage its much delayed and disputed presidential run-off at the end of next month as President Mugabe vowed never to be defeated by an opposition backed by “a hostile axis of powerful foreign governments”.

It was announced today that the second round of voting will be held on June 27 when Morgan Tsvangirai will face off against the President, who has ruled the country for almost 30 years.

The Zimbabwean Electoral Commission set the date this morning after opposition politicians accused the Government of delaying the contest for long enough to implement a crackdown on opponents.

The announcement came after a meeting of the ruling ZANU-PF party, during which President Mugabe admitted that his first round loss had seriously damaged his position.

“Although the presidential result did not yield an outright winner, it was indeed disastrous,” he told the central committee.

Ominously for those predicting an oppressive build-up to the second round of voting, he criticised his party for not making enough of an impact before the March poll.

“Fundamentally we went to the election completely unprepared, unorganised and this against an election-weary voter,” he told party leaders.

“Our structures went to sleep, were in deep slumber in circumstances of an all-out war. They were passive, they were lethargic, ponderous, divided, diverted, disinterested, demobilised or simply non-existent.”

Mr Tsvangirai, leader of the MDC, won the first round of voting but after a lengthy and uncertain counting process it was declared that had not polled enough votes to be named president outright.

The MDC was confident that their candidate had in fact secured 50 per cent of the vote on March 29 making him the rightful president. They say that the result was rigged and delayed to give the Zanu-PF party time to organise a campaign of fear ahead of the next round of voting.

Mr Tsvangirai, who was in Belfast today attending an international conference, said that he would return to Zimbabwe tomorrow to help the country escape the “darkness” of what he called Mr Mugabe’s dictatorship.

“I know that the MDC will form the next government in Zimbabwe and I call on our African brothers and sisters to assist us to ensure there is a smooth transfer of power," he said as he praised the campaigners back in Harare. “It is because of these people that I must return to Zimbabwe, to be with our people, to lift them out of this darkness that pervades their lives."

Since the March poll, the MDC says the government has launched a series of attacks in which it says 40 of its members have been killed, scores have been wounded and more than 1,000 homes burnt or destroyed.

Zimbabweans are hoping that the run-off will help end turmoil in the southern African nation, where an economic meltdown has triggered 165,000 per cent inflation, 80 per cent unemployment, chronic food and fuel shortages and a flood of refugees to neighbouring countries.

Last night the MDC on called for an urgent meeting of countries in the region to avoid “rivers of dead people” in what was once southern Africa’s bread basket.

The opposition said that authorities had already banned a rally on Sunday at which Mr Tsvangirai was due to kick off his campaign for the run-off.

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