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It's looking like Robert mugabe might finally have lost the presidency in Zimbabwe. However, the votes are mighty close and there might be some thing called a 'run-off' (does this mean whoever can run the furthest wins? Someone with a clue please explain). So do people think that he will leave in good grace, or do you think he'll try a last bit of corruption to swing the vote/count his way? If he does lose, do you think the poor sod that takes over - looking like a guy called Morgan Tsvangirai - has any chance of turning the countries problems - 100,000% inflation, food and fuel shortages etc - around?

N.B. Flirting is banned.

matey on newsnight last night was having a laugh wasn't he...fonejacker or what

damn right its banned lol

i dunno Mugabe loves a little underhanded business, if he goes, he's not gonna go without a bang...
gonna take a lot to turn it around tho..

£10 Bag wrote:matey on newsnight last night was having a laugh wasn't he...fonejacker or what

I didn't see it. What happened?

George Agdgdgwengo

i'm not entirely clear on what this "run off" is either, but i really don't think mugabe has the slightest chance of winning. he's completely alienated and pissed off the electorate and has absolutely no international support. so if he does lose (which he will) he has no chance of trying any sort of military attempt to win back power because he'll get the majority of the world leaders coming down on him like a pile of bricks.

as for whether the new guy has a chance, i don't know. hyperinflation can be fixed by a competent leader... just look at how germany went from hyperinflation after WW1 to very nearly taking over the world. now i'm not saying i agree with hitler's policies there but he was certainly a more than competent leader. no idea about this new guy but i do hope he can try and sort things out

and thanks kims

badger wrote: and thanks kims

No problem babger.

make that kins

From the BBC, talking about the opposition leader:

"
-Morgan Tsvangirai is the leader of the largest faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and a veteran trade unionist.

-He established the MDC in 1999 as a party opposed to what it called "misrule, official corruption, and dictatorship" in Zimbabwe.

-The MDC draws much of its support from urban centres, especially Harare and Bulawayo, and southern and western Zimbabwe.

-The party espouses free market economics and its manifesto focuses on five areas: economic stabilisation, reconstruction, national integration, restoration of law and order, and constitutional change.
"

So it sounds like he's got the right idea, and may well have a very useful background for sorting things out. I think the people of Zimbabwe will give him (or, for that matter, anyone who isn't RM), all their support as well which has to be half the battle won.

I believe a 'run off' is a sort of tie breaking election.

kidlogic wrote:I believe a 'run off' is a sort of tie breaking election.

So they'd re-do the whole vote, but just with the two tied candidates?

in my experience in much of africa both sides are as bad as each other. i remember a few weeks ago i had 2 visa applications straight after each other (i work at the home office) from people in the same country. one was saying that he was part of the opposition party and said that he was forced to leave the country because the ruling party had started cracking down on them and framing him for crimes etc and that he couldn't return home; then the next one was in that ruling party that had just been overthrown and had to leave because that formed opposition party was doing exactly the same thing. each claimed to be part of a completely honest party working for the people and being persecuted it.

most of the time it's tit for tat in africa. one party ethnic cleanses, the other does it in return. hopefully this guy can change that but when you've got a history of wrongs it's very hard to forget. look at south africa as well for examples of this. in many ways it's just as bad as under apartheid, but with roles reversed with blacks oppressing whites. it really is a thoroughly deppressing continent with so many horrible things happening there

get im out

kins83 wrote:

kidlogic wrote:I believe a 'run off' is a sort of tie breaking election.

So they'd re-do the whole vote, but just with the two tied candidates?

yeah i think that's what it is. i really can't see the point of it though, other than to give mugabe more chance of clinging on, which he clearly doesn't have anyway. or gives him more chance to prepare some kind of retribution or attempt to stay in power

intresting to see such an icon turn into the complete opposite

deamonds wrote:intresting to see such an icon turn into the complete opposite

it's strange how things turn out isn't it? history makes fools of us all

blargh, piss off MOO GARBAGE!

hi badger, wanna cam?

Sorry, I will contribute something to this when I've had some sleep and can brain again.

badger wrote:

kins83 wrote:

kidlogic wrote:I believe a 'run off' is a sort of tie breaking election.

So they'd re-do the whole vote, but just with the two tied candidates?

yeah i think that's what it is. i really can't see the point of it though, other than to give mugabe more chance of clinging on, which he clearly doesn't have anyway. or gives him more chance to prepare some kind of retribution or attempt to stay in power

Yeah, this is what I was thinking too. Hopefully it won't come to that anyway, and the gap between final vote counts should be enough to warrant a clear victory.

With regards to your previous post, it's a great shame, but that really does seem to be the case (with leaders and opposition being as bad as each other). But surely there must come a point when enough people are tired of the shit that they've been through, and and so eventually some good must come out of the situation? Maybe I'm being an optimist and not much of a realist, but there has to come a time for revolution?

Right. Lunch time.

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