The coming Zimbabwe coup

LA Times:

Zimbabwe hangs in a dangerous political limbo: A ruling party clique clings to power amid rumors of a coup if President Robert Mugabe loses the upcoming presidential runoff. His opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai, far from facing down military hard-liners, has been out of the country for weeks, fearing assassination.

As regional leaders dither, a new wave of systematic abductions and killings of top opposition activists suggests a regime that is unwilling to leave office, even if it loses the second round of voting, scheduled for the end of next month.

"There's no way we are going to lose the runoff," one senior ruling party figure said. "We are going to make sure of that. If we lose the runoff, then the army will take over.

"Never be fooled that Tsvangirai will rule this country. Never," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said in an interview in Harare, the Zimbabwean capital.

Rights organizations, such as Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights, say the level and intensity of the violence far surpasses that surrounding elections in 2000 and 2002. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change says 43 activists are known to have been killed since the March 29 vote.

The opposition says the government is targeting its top activists and officials and that at least six have been abducted in the last 10 days by heavily armed security officials. Four have been found dead, it says, their bodies showing signs of severe beating and torture. Ten others are missing and feared dead.

MDC activist Tonderai Ndira was dragged from his bed last week by eight security operatives. His body was found Wednesday, dumped in the bush. His brother Barnabas said Ndira's face had been beaten so badly it was unrecognizable.

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At this point a coup instead of going through the motions of an election would be more merciful. It would also be more honest. the only reason they are not doing it before the election is the pretense of legitimacy they hope to get by coercing people into voting for their despotic tyranny. Regional leaders are showing Mugabe far too much respect. He deserves none. The UN, if it were not a corrupt organization, should be intervening and running the election and preventing violence.