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MUGABE ON HIS WAY OUT?
This is very exciting:
The opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is in talks with advisers to President Robert G. Mugabe of Zimbabwe, amid signs that some of those close to Mr. Mugabe may encourage him to resign, a Western diplomatic source and a prominent Zimbabwe political analyst said Tuesday. The negotiations about a possible transfer of power away from Mr. Mugabe come after he apparently concluded that a runoff election would be demeaning, a diplomat said.
A resignation by Mr. Mugabe, one of Africa’s longest serving leaders, would be a stunning turnabout in a country where Mr. Mugabe has been accused of consistently manipulating election results to maintain his lock on power.
Robert Mugabe has pretty much singlehandedly gutted the economy of Zimbabwe, and has lately done severe damage to the political system, as well. This article suggests that one of the central remaining obstacles is negotiations with Mugabe's security chiefs, who are attempting to carve their own place in a post-Mugabe Zimbabwe. In any case it's quite exciting, although if Mugabe attempts to hold power by trick or by force a serious crisis could erupt.
--Robert Farley
COMMENTS (2)
The Guardian has been liveblogging the proceedings, and they seem markedly less optimistic (link - http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/2008/04/zimbabwe_poll_crisis_live.html ).
A quote: "It should be pointed out that Makumbe has suggested before that Mugabe is on his way out. In 2006 he told the New Yorker that Mugabe had run out of solutions.
" 'People see a paper tiger and they think it's real. In fact, it's scared, wetting itself, with its tail between its legs.'
"Tsvangirai's people have denied that talks are taking place."
Posted by: Midwest Product | April 1, 2008 12:32 PM
From the South Africa-based Mail & Guardian, with reporting from Zimbabwe:
Posted by: El Cid | April 1, 2008 3:03 PM