Again Trouble in Zimbabwe
Despite the deal that was stuck between opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe, it could very well be that chaos will return to Zimbabwe rather soon.
Mugabe agreed to a deal that would make Tsvangirai’s party a member of the government, with its own ministers. Tsvangirai would become prime minister, and his party would have more power and influence than it has now. At the same time, Mugabe would be the country’s president with considerable powers.
Now, however, Mugabe opposes appointing members of the opposition to important ministries. He wishes to appoint them to ministries where they can do no harm to him, and where they can say they are minister, but do nothing for the country.
Tsvangirai, obviously seeing through Mugabe’s scheme, is unwilling to play along, and has threatened to leave the government coalition and, thus, to break the deal which was brokered by South African leader Thabo Mbeki.
And so, Mugabe continues to signal that he is not truly willing to share power. The man who came to power as a hero, has devovled into a dictator, who tolerates no significant opposition. He continues to stall, and make life impossible for those who believe Zimbabwe is not on the right track (and it is not, considering the country’s high unemployment rates and terrible inflation).
He is gambling here, though. According to most observers, Tsvangirai won the elections for president, and his party also won the elections for parliament. Mugabe is taking the risk of making Tsvangirai even more popular by objecting to the demands of his people.
Having said that, Tsvangirai is in a difficult position himself as well. If he quits the government for what Zimbabweans consider to be invalid, egotistical reasons, he will lose popularity, and his party will perform badly in future elections. As such, he can only quit the deal if he can convince voters that he had to be due to Mugabe’s ill intentions.
And that is a problem in a country in which the president rules over virtually everything, including much of the media.
