Thursday, April 24, 2008

Press floats Mugabe unity government

Zimbabwe's state run press is often used by Mugabe to float his ideas without attaching his own name to them, and I suspect that this is what is going on here. They are now saying that Mugabe will annul last month's presidential election and call for a national unity government with himself as president while a new constitution is negotiated and a fresh ballot held.

It's simply outrageous.

And, short of other African nations - especially South Africa - expressing their horror at what he is doing, it's hard to think of any way to stop the old bugger from carrying out this outrage.

With the results of the ballot still unannounced 25 days after it was held, and a partial recount of parliamentary and presidential votes taking days, it is increasingly apparent that the Zimbabwean government is undecided on the way forward.

Zanu-PF has touted the idea of a presidential run-off with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change's candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai. But despite the ruling party's campaign of violence against opposition voters, Mugabe can be far from certain of winning, particularly with growing regional scrutiny. His government appears to be stalling while it finds a credible way to hold on to power.

In the Herald article, Obediah Mukura Mazombwe, a pro-Zanu-PF academic, wrote: "The [ruling] party should allow MDC-Tsvangirai, now in virtual exile, to return home and freely negotiate its participation in a [Southern African Development Community-mediated] process that should lead to the establishment of a transitional government of national unity led by the incumbent president."

The international community should be putting pressure on Mbeki of South Africa to tell Mugabe that the game is up and the time has come for him to go.

Anything else is simply a sham.

Click title for full article.

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