Zimbabwe opposition vows to fight "civilian coup"

HARARE, Dec 18 (Reuters) Zimbabwe's main opposition and civic groups today vowed to resist a ''civilian coup'' by the ruling party which has moved to extend President Robert Mugabe's term by two years.

An annual conference of Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party on Saturday ''noted and adopted'' a motion to move presidential polls from 2008 to 2010 so they can be held concurrently with parliamentary elections.

The resolution, which would give Mugabe two more years in power, must still be approved by the party's policy-making central committee and by parliament to be effective.

Analysts say this is virtually assured with Mugabe and his allies in control of both institutions.

''We strongly oppose this form of dictatorship and we will fight it,'' said Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). ''We will be consulting to come up with a fitting response.'' Welshman Ncube, secretary general of a splinter group of the opposition MDC, called the ZANU-PF action a ''civilian coup''.

''No person should run the country without being mandated by an election. The decision to unilaterally amend the constitution without national consensus amounts to a civilian coup,'' he said.

''We will oppose all forms of coups. The national council of the MDC will meet in the new year to decide on what course of action to take,'' he added.

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