The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition says Mugabe wants to delay the result to help him find a way out of the biggest crisis of his 28-year rule. It is asking the High Court to force release of the results. The MDC says its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has already won and should be declared president, ending Mugabe's uninterrupted rule since independence from Britain.

After a hearing lasting almost four hours, High Court judge Tendai Uchena adjourned to consider an electoral commission argument that he did not have jurisdiction.

No results have emerged from the presidential vote eight days ago but Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF wants the electoral commission to delay announcing the outcome pending a recount.

Mugabe suffered his first election defeat when ZANU-PF lost control of parliament in the March 29 elections.

ZANU-PF's request for a recount and delay is part of Mugabe's strategy to stay in power despite the defeat and projections he also lost the presidential vote.

The strategy includes legal challenges against some of the parliamentary results and deployment of pro-government militias before a possible runoff.

A group of militant liberation war veterans, often used as political shock troops by Mugabe, have re-emerged to back him.

Electoral rules say a runoff must be held three weeks after the release of results, meaning the longer the delay the more time Mugabe has to regroup.

WAR

On Saturday, Tsvangirai accused the 84-year-old former guerrilla leader of "preparing a war on the people".

ZANU-PF and independent monitors' projections show Tsvangirai has won the presidential election but will be forced into a runoff after failing to win an absolute majority.

Zimbabwe state radio reported the war veterans had threatened to occupy all white farms in Masvingo Province after reports that their original owners were returning to land seized by the government after 2000.

The re-emergence of the war veterans, who led a wave of violent occupations of white farms as part of a government land redistribution programme, increased fears Mugabe's supporters would try to intimidate opponents ahead of the run-off.

The state-owned Sunday Mail said ZANU-PF had rejected an opposition offer to form a unity government. The MDC said it had made no approaches to the ruling party.

"That's nonsense. That's absolutely nonsense, we won this election under extremely difficult circumstances. The only thing that worries us is the violence and the war that they have unleashed on the people of Zimbabwe," MDC spokesman Tendai Biti said.

Britain and the United States, both of whom have applied sanctions on Mugabe and his top officials, have criticised the election delay and suggested it could be the precursor to a rigged result.

Mugabe's government is widely accused in the West of stealing previous presidential and parliamentary elections, and his removal is regarded by Washington and London as necessary to rebuilding Zimbabwe's shattered economy.

Zimbabweans are struggling with inflation of more than 100,000 percent -- the highest in the world -- mass unemployment and chronic shortages of meat, bread, fuel and other basic necessities.