Tsvangirai sees huge voter turnout

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday predicted "a huge turnout" in a presidential election run-off despite what critics say is a campaign of violence and intimidation by the government.

Tsvangirai, who leads the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), will face off against veteran President Robert Mugabe on June 27. Official results showed Tsvangirai won a first round in March but without enough votes to secure an outright victory.

"On the ground people are exuberant, they are triumphant, they are defiant. They want to finish him off, come the 27th ... frankly, we're going to have a huge turnout," Tsvangirai told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

Western countries and human rights groups accuse Mugabe of using his supporters to intimidate those who oppose him. Mugabe blames his opponents for the violence.

The MDC leader has been repeatedly detained during the campaign and one of his top lieutenants faces a treason charge. Tsvangirai said all MDC rallies had been banned.

"The whole country is under siege. In certain areas there is almost total war. ... "We are really dealing with a man who does not want to give up power," he told CBC radio.

Mugabe, 84, has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980. His support waned amid a desperate economic crisis that has brought hyper-inflation and major food shortages.

Some media reports have quoted unnamed senior Mugabe officials as saying they do not want the president to leave because they fear they could be put on trial.

Tsvangirai said he had made clear that if he won, his priority would be to deal with the economic crisis rather than prosecuting top officials.