Zimbabwe State Newspaper Calls for Unity Government
President Mugabe of Zimbabwe still refuses to give in to the will of the voters. They voted for the opposition leader and, as such, against the man who has been the president of Zimbabwe ever since this southern African country gained its independence.
For weeks already, the government has declined to share the outcome of the elections with its people. Instead of opening up, the government has arrested many members of the opposition and even some of those who had to count the votes. The excuse? They rigged the elections.
That’s right, the opposition party rigged the elections.
Well, since there’s literally no one in the world who’s even slightly willing to pretend that they think it’s true, the Zimbabwe state newspaper has now called for a unity government.
Even as diplomatic efforts to resolve Zimbabwe’s political crisis intensified, an editorial in its state-owned newspaper on Wednesday floated a proposal for a transitional unity government that would run the country while new elections are organized and be headed by Zimbabwe’s longtime strongman, President Robert Mugabe.
This is a clear indication that Mugabe did indeed lose the elections and that he knows that the world knows, but that he refuses to do what’s right; resign. Why? Because the state newspaper is exactly that; a state newspaper. Mugabe and his buddies determine what gets reported and what doesn’t.
Mr. Mugabe’s government quickly distanced itself from the article, published in The Herald newspaper, with a spokesman telling the BBC that ZANU-PF, the ruling party, was preparing for a presidential run-off between Mr. Mugabe and opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai.
And Zimbabwe’s opposition party, which says it defeated the 84-year-old Mr. Mugabe in Mar. 29 elections, immediately rejected the proposal and any resolution of the crisis that left Mr. Mugabe in power.
The ‘distancing’ is obviously done with a purpose; if the country would react positively to the suggestion in the editorial, Mugabe would have proposed it to the opposition. But if the country and the opposition refuse to play ball, Mugabe can simply pretend that the newspaper acted on its own.
