HARARE, May 18 (Xinhua) -- The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said on Sunday it will soon establish multi-party liaison committees to enable the country's two major parties contesting the June 27 presidential run-off to lay ground rules to ensure a free and fair poll.

    ZEC deputy chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana urged the two parties, the ZANU-PF, led by President Robert Mugabe, and the Movement Democratic Change, led by Morgan Tsvangirai, to respect electoral laws and campaign peacefully to ensure a free and fair election.

    "That has always been our message and it is still the same," he said. "We encourage political parties to talk through the liaison committees and desist from violence since it does not help anyone."