Mugabe's endgame

Times:

he ruinous reign of Robert Mugabe was drawing to a close last night as aides worked to secure him a facesaving exit after defeat at the polls.

Talks began after Mr Mugabe’s closest cohorts gathered at State House to inform him that he had not only failed to win an outright victory in the weekend’s presidential election, but was beaten into second place by his challenger.

Late last night Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, refused to declare victory but told reporters that he had achieved “above the constitutional requirement” to avoid a run-off.

He vowed to wait for the Election Commission to announce official results before declaring victory, raising suspicions that a deal with Mr Mugabe was already in place.

Mr Tsvangirai dismissed the delay as irrelevant, suggesting that he no longer feared vote rigging. “The people of Zimbabwe have waited this long. They can wait far, far longer,” he said.

South Africa was leading the behind-the-scenes negotiations on a power-sharing deal in which a member of Mr Mugabe’s ruling Zanu (PF) party would assume a vice-presidential position. Such a deal would also ensure that Mr Mugabe retained immunity from prosecution for any crimes committed during his authoritarian rule.

“It is over for Mugabe. No one is now talking about him staying on, just somehow finding a graceful exit,” a diplomat said.

Even Mr Mugabe’s own colleagues admitted that the regime was witnessing its final moments. “He [Mugabe] is prepared to step down because he doesn’t want to embarrass himself by going to a run-off,” a Zanu (PF) official said. “There is only one person still blocking him — the army chief of staff.”

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The Times says Mugabe, who was responsible for impoverishing his country, will retire to a villa that cost millions. His opposition appears to be willing to let him go rather than try the man for his wickedness. South Africa is said to be working behind the scenes on the transition. For the wretched people of his country it can't come too soon.