Mutumwa Mawere

It is now official that Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai, the President of the MDC, has withdrawn his name as a candidate for the office of the President of Zimbabwe in the controversial run-off elections that was to be held on 27 June 2008.

What is not clear, however, is whether the elections will still proceed as scheduled or President Mugabe will be declared as a winner obviating the need for proceeding with the elections.

The decision by Tsvangirai suits President Mugabe whose desperation to cling to power at all costs is now common cause.

Although the withdrawal of Tsvangirai is convenient for President Mugabe, it nevertheless places him in a difficult position going forward and the real losers are the people of Zimbabwe whose future will remain hostage to the high stakes political games being played.

President Mugabe has not yet accepted that he lost the first election and, therefore, he still holds the view that the results of the 29th March election did not accurately reflect the will of the people of Zimbabwe. Accordingly, he will continue to advance his assertion that Tsvangirai is less Zimbabwean than him and the decision to withdraw from the election is an acceptance that President Mugabe still enjoys the support of the people.

Even to Tsvangirai it was clear that it was never going to be easy to unseat President Mugabe. Notwithstanding the uneven electoral playing field, MDC still managed to garner significant support demonstrating that the people of Zimbabwe are ready for change.

It will be difficult for President Mugabe to claim that ZANU-PF still enjoys the support of the majority of the citizens.

What is clear, however, is that President Mugabe can no longer count on unanimous African support. It will be difficult if not impossible for him to escape from the legitimate criticism that he is the stumbling block to progress and national healing.

The unfortunate language that President Mugabe has been using confirms that he will never accept responsibility for placing the country in the worst economic and political crisis. The fact that Zimbabwe is now a laughing stock not only in Africa but throughout the world appears not to be of concern to President Mugabe.

Why would President Mugabe even bother to push for an election when he cannot accept the outcome? Surely President Mugabe is aware that violence can never be a substitute for sound economic policies. Does President Mugabe have any plan for the country apart from remaining in power? What future lies ahead for Zimbabwe under President Mugabe's watch?

President Mugabe is still to accept that the violent atmosphere that has characterised the post 29 March elections is largely driven and condoned by the state. He should accept the responsibility for the continued break down in the rule of law and human rights abuses.

It seems as if part of President Mugabe's strategy was to make life difficult for Tsvangirai so as to leave him no choice but to surrender. In as much as President Mugabe may see the withdrawal of Tsvangirai as a triumph, there is no doubt that there is no cause for celebration in the ZANU-PF camp.

What President Mugabe has managed to demonstrate is that elections do not matter as he still remains firmly in control of the organs of the state. The state machinery is still operating on partisan grounds and in such an environment Tsvangirai must be saluted for having the courage to recognise that it would have been futile to risk more lives in a process whose outcome was being manipulated for political expediency.

The political atmosphere continues to remain poisonous requiring sober minds to think seriously about the country and what direction is needed to lift the country up.

For the first time in Zimbabwe's post colonial history, President Mugabe's democratic credentials are found wanting supported by impeccable evidence.

If President Mugabe is contemptuous of democratic processes, can he still be trusted to promote and defend the constitution of the country?