ZIMBABWE'S OPPOSITION leader said yesterday he would return home within two days to contest a run-off against President Robert Mugabe and deal him a "final knockout" blow after almost three decades in power.

But any chance of a speedy end to the political stalemate that has gripped the country since the disputed March 29 elections appeared remote after Zimbabwe's justice minister rejected Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai's conditions for taking part in the run-off.

Tsvangirai said he would only participate if international observers and media get full access to ensure the run-off is fair. He said the country's electoral commission was discredited and should be revamped, and called on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) grouping to send peacekeepers to instill public confidence in the vote.

Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa shrugged off the demands.

"The run-off will be held within the framework of the constitution and the electoral laws. There will be no conditionalities that will be outside this framework," he told reporters.

After weeks of equivocation, Tsvangirai said he would fight Mugabe in the run-off, even though he believed he had won outright in the first round. The MDC has accused the ruling Zanu-PF of vote-rigging by intimidating and attacking voters.

"The MDC ... will contest the run-off. I am ready, and the people are ready for the final round," Tsvangirai told a news conference in South Africa.

Official results showed Zanu-PF lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since independence in 1980, and that Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in the presidential poll, but not by enough votes to avoid a run-off.

Both the government and the opposition have challenged some of the results.

Zimbabweans are now hoping for an end to the political stalemate that has sparked fears of widespread violence and instability There is also hope that an election might help end the economic meltdown that has triggered chronic food and fuel shortages, 80% unemployment, inflation of 165,000% and a flood of millions of refugees to neighbouring countries.

"Legally this election should be no later than May 24 ... and that is the date we are preparing for.

"If Zanu-PF and the ZEC (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) hope to retain what little credibility they have left they will abide by the law and declare the presidential run-off election between today and that date," Tsvangirai said.

The ZEC will set the date of the run-off, and by law, a second round should be held within 21 days of the result, announced on May 2. However, the ZEC has the power to extend it and Tsvangirai's conditions have added a new variable to the process.

Susan Booysen, an analyst at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, said allowing international observers "pulls the rug out from under Zanu-PF, because without those controls they can virtually throw in the towel today".

Mugabe's government has barred most international observers from past polls, although it has allowed some regional states to monitor elections and has also invited observers from Russia.

Zimbabwean political commentator Eldred Masunungure said Tsvangirai's demands made a short time-frame for staging the run-off difficult.

"Two weeks is a short time for observers to get in and make some effective presence on the ground," he said.

Analysts say an end of Mugabe's rule may bring much-needed international aid to the country, but if he stays the economic crisis is likely to deepen.