Pressure mounts on Mugabe to step down

BULAWAYO – Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has called on President Robert Mugabe to step down to pave way for a transitional government that should lead to the writing of a new Constitution and fresh elections to be supervised by the international community.

Tsvangirai, who again vowed to lead Zimbabweans in street protests to force Mugabe to accept democracy even if it could lead to his own death, was speaking at a rally at Bulawayo’s White City stadium at the weekend. The rally, attended by more than 5 000 supporters, was the fourth the opposition leader has held in major cities in the last two weeks to mobilise Zimbabweans for mass anti-government protests whose date he has not yet announced.”Mugabe should step down and let a transitional government lead the process of [writing] a new Constitution that would lead to internationally supervised elections in the country,” said Tsvangirai, castigating the government for unilaterally changing Zimbabwe’s Constitution in the past.Among other changes to the country’s fundamental law, the government last year amended the Constitution to virtually nationalise all farmland by banning citizens from contesting in court seizure of their land by the state.The government also changed the Constitution to create a House of Senate, opposed by Tsvangirai and critics who say it is a waste of resources and only meant to extend Mugabe’s patronage network.Tsvangirai, who leads the main faction of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party after the party split into two last year, accuses Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF party of rigging elections since 2000 to retain power.He says the veteran Zimbabwean leader has during the same period ruined the country’s economy through controversial policies such as his seizure of white farmland that destabilised the mainstay agricultural sector and knocked down food production by about 60% leaving the once food self-sufficient country dependent on food aid.Mugabe denies ruining the economy or stealing elections and has in the past strongly rejected suggestions that the United Nations or any other international body should supervise elections in Zimbabwe.He has also banned the United States and European Union states from observing polls in Zimbabwe accusing them of bias against Zanu-PF.But the Zimbabwean leader has welcomed election observer missions from Africa and other developing nations that are friendly to Harare.Mugabe has also warned Tsvangirai against calling street protests, saying the opposition leader would be dicing with death if he tried to instigate popular revolt against the government.A defiant Tsvangirai told the cheering crowd at White City that he remained committed to mass action despite Mugabe’s warning.He said: “If it means Tsvangirai should die in order to free this country then let me die because there is no easy struggle where people do not die and I say I am prepared to die for Zimbabwe.”- ZimOnlineThe rally, attended by more than 5 000 supporters, was the fourth the opposition leader has held in major cities in the last two weeks to mobilise Zimbabweans for mass anti-government protests whose date he has not yet announced.”Mugabe should step down and let a transitional government lead the process of [writing] a new Constitution that would lead to internationally supervised elections in the country,” said Tsvangirai, castigating the government for unilaterally changing Zimbabwe’s Constitution in the past.Among other changes to the country’s fundamental law, the government last year amended the Constitution to virtually nationalise all farmland by banning citizens from contesting in court seizure of their land by the state.The government also changed the Constitution to create a House of Senate, opposed by Tsvangirai and critics who say it is a waste of resources and only meant to extend Mugabe’s patronage network.Tsvangirai, who leads the main faction of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party after the party split into two last year, accuses Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF party of rigging elections since 2000 to retain power.He says the veteran Zimbabwean leader has during the same period ruined the country’s economy through controversial policies such as his seizure of white farmland that destabilised the mainstay agricultural sector and knocked down food production by about 60% leaving the once food self-sufficient country dependent on food aid.Mugabe denies ruining the economy or stealing elections and has in the past strongly rejected suggestions that the United Nations or any other international body should supervise elections in Zimbabwe.He has also banned the United States and European Union states from observing polls in Zimbabwe accusing them of bias against Zanu-PF.But the Zimbabwean leader has welcomed election observer missions from Africa and other developing nations that are friendly to Harare.Mugabe has also warned Tsvangirai against calling street protests, saying the opposition leader would be dicing with death if he tried to instigate popular revolt against the government.A defiant Tsvangirai told the cheering crowd at White City that he remained committed to mass action despite Mugabe’s warning.He said: “If it means Tsvangirai should die in order to free this country then let me die because there is no easy struggle where people do not die and I say I am prepared to die for Zimbabwe.”- ZimOnline