MDC smell win, fear rigged poll
2008-02-10 23:06
Harare - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai says his Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) is confident of winning general elections next month, but
fears President Robert Mugabe's government will rig the vote.
Tsvangirai, head of the main faction of the MDC, told a news
conference on Sunday that Zimbabweans, who blame the government for ruining the once-prosperous southern African state's economy, were desperate for change.
"We believe the election ... however uneven the playing
field may be, presents Zimbabweans with a fighting chance to
remove this dictatorship," he said, repeating charges that
Mugabe had rigged three previous elections to stay in power.
"The people will win in the election of 2008, and should Robert Mugabe choose to steal their victory, he would have consumed that last shred of legitimacy left for his dictatorship in the region and in the world," said Tsvangirai.
But he declined to say what the MDC would do if it felt
cheated in the polls.
"We will cross that bridge when we get to it," said Tsvangirai, adding: "Experience is the best teacher, and we will not go to court."
Tsvangirai, 55, said former Mugabe ally and ex-finance
minister Simba Makoni had a crucial role to play in Zimbabwe's political future, but that the MDC could not work with him while Makoni retained strong ties with the ruling Zanu-PF party.
Makoni announced last week he would run against Mugabe for
the presidency, and said he had support from Zanu-PF rebels.
"Dr Makoni is a player looking for a team, and I already have a team here," Tsvangirai said when asked about a possible coalition.
Despite the economic shambles, analysts say Mugabe may
be able to hang on to power against a divided opposition.
The MDC is split into two factions, led by Tsvangirai and
academic Arthur Mutambara, that will field rival candidates in
next month's presidential, parliamentary and council elections after failing to agree on a unified ticket.
The MDC had earlier said it might boycott the March 29 polls
if Mugabe's government refused to adopt a new draft constitution agreed between the two sides. The charter has not been adopted.
Tsvangirai has said a new constitution is his party's main hope of achieving a fair election and, without one, the result was bound to be disputed as had happened in the past.
Mugabe, 83, who has ruled Zimbabwe since it gained
independence from Britain in 1980, says the MDC is sponsored by
Western powers opposed to his seizure and redistribution of
white-owned farms to landless blacks.
- Reuters