On the good news front, the Movement for Democratic Change has had a change of heart and now insists that it will contest the runoff election and is planning its strategy, whenever that election may happen. While I understand Morgan Tsvangirai's frustration with a system so clearly stacked against him, I was happy to see him say: “A run-off election could finally knock out the dictator [Mugabe] for good. The run-off election could be the final round in a very long fight to liberate ourselves from our former liberator.” Of course the MDC also believes that the runoff will happen between now and May 23, which, while consistent with the law, also seems highly unlikely.
One also wonders if Thabo Mbkei's talks with Robert Mugabe were geared toward pushing the old despot toward conciliation or merely served to validate principles of liberation that, while undeniable in their importance are also irrelevant in the context of the current campaign. Morgan Tsvangirai is more committed to Zimbabwe today than is Robert Mugabe. That Mugabe the liberation hero has been overwhelmed by Mugabe the despot is a tragic reality, but it is a reality nonetheless.