Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

News Sections

Newser Specials

Zimbabwe: Mugabe's Misery

Started by Imperator; Last updated Jun 25, 08 6:35 AM CDT by Imperator | View history

Rate it:

Print

E-mail

|

Digg

Seed this on Newsvine

Add this link to Del.icio.us

StumbleUpon

| Edit thread | Notify editors | + Start a new thread

Zimbabwe: Mugabe's Misery

An out-of-control dictator's ugly reign brings a nation to its knees

He led Zimbabwe to independence in 1980 and has effectively been 'president for life' ever since. Under Robert Mugabe's rule Zimbabwe has become an economic basket case due to political corruption and misbegotten economic policies. But after an election loss, Mugabe appears ready to step down.

Stories

Stories 61 - 80 of 130

<< Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next >>

May 2008
- Zimbabwe Will Vote Again Next Month
  
  newser | BBC | May 16, 08 7:10 AM CDT
  
  Zimbabwe will go to the polls again on June 27, the government announced today, in one last run-off between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai will take part, despite earlier threats to boycott over alleged fraud and government intimidation, the BBC reports. The opposition leader won the previous vote, but not by the simple majority needed to prevent a runoff, according to official data. More »
- Tsvangirai Agrees to Zimbabwe Runoff
  
  newser | BBC | May 10, 08 7:18 AM CDT
  
  Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has decided to take part in a runoff presidential vote, the BBC reports, despite fears that violence and voter intimidation will skew results. The candidate has called a runoff unnecessary, insisting he received over half the original vote, but today he said his supporters would feel “betrayed” if he did not run in a second round. Official results gave him 47.9% of the vote to President Robert Mugabe’s 43.2%. More »
- Zimbabwe Attacks Rising as Mbeke Arrives
  
  newser | New York Times | May 9, 08 2:25 PM CDT
  
  South African President Thabo Mbeki arrived in Zimbabwe today for talks with Robert Mugabe, with evidence of brutal government attacks on the rise, the New York Times reports. Doctors said they’d seen a “dramatic escalation” in assaults by government agents. With a runoff looming, more than 900 opposition supporters have been beaten, and even that number “grossly underestimates” the violence, one doctor said. More »
- Oil Driving 'Democratic Recession'
  
  newser | New York Times | May 7, 08 11:25 AM CDT
  
  A "democratic recession" is threatening to roll back freedom around the globe, Thomas Friedman writes today in the New York Times. The high price of oil—which facilitates authoritarian rule—combined with the loss of US ability to effectively promote democracy means dictators have freer reign and freedom suffers, Friedman writes. More »
- Official Results Finally Out in Zimbabwe
  
  newser | Reuters | May 2, 08 10:10 AM CDT
  
  Zimbabwe’s official election results are finally out, Reuters reports, and as expected, they call for a runoff between opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai won 47.9% of the vote, the election commission found, beating Mugabe’s 43.2% but not hitting the 50% necessary to avoid a runoff. “This whole thing is a scandal, scandalous daylight robbery and everyone knows that,” an opposition spokesman said. More »
- Without Runoff, Mugabe Will Win 'by Default'
  
  newser | CNN | May 1, 08 8:06 AM CDT
  
  The head of Zimbabwe's electoral commission tells CNN that Robert Mugabe will win re-election by default if Morgan Tsvangirai goes through with a threat to boycott a runoff. Tsvangirai's party claims a 50.3% victory, making a runoff unnecessary; Mugabe's party argues he has only a 47%-43% margin. The commission head, George Chiweshe, said results of the March presidential race will be submitted to both parties today. More »
April 2008
- Leaked Results Show Runoff Needed in Zimbabwe
  
  newser | Reuters | Apr 30, 08 1:03 PM CDT
  
  The opposition did indeed win last month’s presidential election in Zimbabwe, senior government sources tell Reuters, though not by enough to avoid a run-off second round. Morgan Tsvangirai won 47% of the vote to incumbent Robert Mugabe’s 43%, numbers that are in line with the claims by Mugabe's party. The country's electoral commission had no comment on the leaked stats. More »
- S. Africa Blocks Sending UN Envoy to Zimbabwe
  
  newser | Times (UK) | Apr 30, 08 9:19 AM CDT
  
  A closed-door session of the Security Council failed to make progress on Zimbabwe after South Africa led a successful effort to block a plan to send a UN envoy to Harare. The US, Britain, and France pushed for dispatching an observer—and for a moratorium on arms sales. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, meanwhile, blasted Zimbabwe's failure to announce election results. More »
- Times Reporter Recounts Time Jailed in Zimbabwe
  
  newser | New York Times | Apr 27, 08 12:37 PM CDT
  
  On April 3, Barry Bearak was arrested in Harare on charges of "committing journalism" and locked in a Zimbabwean prison. The New York Times reporter now tells the story of his imprisonment, which involved four days of negotiating the murky legal system with the help of one of the country's top human rights lawyers, and finally gaining his freedom. More »
- Opposition Holds Gains in Zimbabwe Recount
  
  newser | BBC | Apr 26, 08 8:40 AM CDT
  
  With recounts confirming results on seven more seats today, Zimbabwe’s opposition party seems less and less at risk of losing the new majority gained in parliamentary elections last month, the BBC reports. Ten seats remain in the recount, and Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF needs nine to regain power in the country’s lower house. More »
- Police Raid Zimbabwe Opposition HQ
  
  newser | CNN | Apr 25, 08 6:45 AM CDT
  
  Zimbabwean police raided the headquarters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in Harare today. The MDC claims that around 100 party members were arrested, and a journalist on the site saw people "limping and in pain" being dragged away. Several of the arrested were recovering from earlier injuries sustained in attacks by pro-Mugabe mobs. More »
- US Envoy: 'Tsvangirai Won'
  
  newser | Associated Press | Apr 24, 08 1:49 PM CDT
  
  After more than three weeks in which Robert Mugabe has failed to hand over results from Zimbabwe’s presidential election, a top US diplomat for Africa came out in support of his challenger today, the AP reports. “Morgan Tsvangirai won, and perhaps outright,” Jendayi Frazer said in South Africa. She also expressed concern over reports of violent reprisals against opposition supporters. More »
- Zimbabwe Arms Ship Heads Back to China
  
  newser | New York Times | Apr 24, 08 8:33 AM CDT
  
  A Chinese ship with a cargo of arms and ammunition bound for Zimbabwe will indeed head back to China, the Chinese foreign ministry confirmed today, after Zimbabwe's neighbors refused to let the vessel dock. The decision is a victory for the coalition of trade unionists, religious leaders, and Western diplomats who united to block the armaments' delivery, reports the New York Times . More »
- Mugabe's Party Wins First Recount
  
  newser | BBC | Apr 23, 08 8:56 AM CDT
  
  Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF has won the first of the parliamentary recounts, the BBC reports, retaining a seat challenged by the MDC opposition party. The MDC says the partial recount, which mainly targets MDC seats, is an attempt to rig the election. Zanu-PF meanwhile tried to distance itself from an editorial in the state-run newspaper calling for a power-sharing deal to resolve the presidential election crisis. More »
- Zuma in London for Zimbabwe Talks
  
  newser | BBC | Apr 23, 08 6:06 AM CDT
  
  South African leader Jacob Zuma has arrived in London, where he'll meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown to discuss the political deadlock in Zimbabwe, reports the BBC. Before the meeting, the head of the ruling African National Congress said that the delay in the release of last month's election results is "unacceptable." But he did not explicitly say that Morgan Tsvangirai had won the poll or that President Robert Mugabe should step down. More »
- Chinese Weapons Ship May Head Home
  
  newser | BBC | Apr 22, 08 9:33 AM CDT
  
  China may recall the ship carrying arms to Zimbabwe, thanks to stonewalling by its Southern African neighbors, the BBC reports. Coastal nations are refusing to allow the ship to dock, worried that the weapons will be used to escalate Zimbabwe’s tense post-election standoff. The ship may yet find harbor in Angola, an ally of Zimbabwe’s government, but a Chinese official said it was considering simply returning home. More »
- Zimbabwe's Opposition Pleads for Help
  
  newser | Reuters | Apr 21, 08 6:24 PM CDT
  
  Zimbabwe's opposition begged world leaders today for protection from post-election violence, Reuters reports. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said troops were "terrorizing people" and creating "a very serious humanitarian situation" in Zimbabwe, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said. Tsvangirai also told Ban that African leaders had failed to intervene after Zimbabwe's disputed election last month. More »
- Zimbabwe Begins Recount; Opposition Rejects Move
  
  newser | Reuters | Apr 19, 08 12:08 PM CDT
  
  Zimbabwe began a partial recount today of votes from last month’s parliamentary elections despite objections from the opposition party and fears that the deadlock could turn violent. The recount in 23 of 210 constituencies is expected to last 3 days and could reverse the initial results that handed defeat to the country’s ruling party, Reuters reports. More »
- Mugabe: Brit Bribes Swayed Election
  
  newser | Reuters | Apr 18, 08 9:02 AM CDT
  
  In his first speech since his maybe-final election defeat, Robert Mugabe accused Britain of bribing Zimbabwe’s voters, Reuters reports. “Down with the British. Down with the thieves who want to steal our country,” he told a cheering crowd of 15,000. Britain’s Gordon Brown has been among Mugabe’s loudest international critics, demanding the president release results from the March 29 election. More »
- China Ships Arms to Mugabe
  
  newser | Guardian (UK) | Apr 18, 08 4:29 AM CDT
  
  As tensions rise in Zimbabwe, a Chinese ship has arrived in a South African port with arms bound for Harare. The ship put to sea with AK-47 rifles, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and millions of rounds of ammunition, apparently to fortify President Robert Mugabe, who's not relinquishing power despite his suspected loss in last month's presidential election. A South African politician called the shipment tantamount to "putting a fuse in a powder keg." More »

Stories 61 - 80 of 130

<< Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next >>

Images (6)
Videos (1)

President Robert Mugabe is seen at the Zanu PF headquarters in Harare, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007. Thousands of war veterans marched in the streets of Harare in an effort to show solidarity with President... (Associated Press)

President Robert Mugabe addresses party supporters at the Zanu PF headquarters in Harare, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi) (Associated Press)

A picture taken 19 August 1966 shows Ian Smith, Rebel Prime Minister of Rhodesia, delivering a speech in Umtali. Smith, who led the country now known as Zimbabwe during a guerilla war against his whites-only... (Getty Images)

Robert Mugabe will nationalize the country's mines, with potentially devastating consequences. (Getty Images)

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. (Associated Press)

President Robert Mugabe greets party supporters at the Zanu PF headquarters in Harare, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007. Thousands of war veterans marched in the streets of Harare in an effort to show solidarity... (Associated Press)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Zimbabwe: President Mugabe threatens to arrest Tsvangirai (NTVKenya (YouTube))

« Prev « Prev | Next » Next »

Related Threads

Africa • China • Brown's Britain • Bush 43 • European Union • The Anglican Disunion • Clinton 2008 • Gas Gets Pumped Up • Good Riddance • Internecine Feuds

Background

Ian Douglas Smith
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

Ian Douglas Smith 1919-2007, Rhodesian political leader. A cattle farmer who was the son of a Scottish immigrant, he served in the Southern Rhodesia legislative assembly from 1948 until 1953, when he was elected to the federal parliament of the Central African Federation, where he served until ...

» Read more about Ian Douglas Smith at Encyclopedia.com

Zimbabwe
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

Zimbabwe , formerly Rhodesia, officially Republic of Zimbabwe, republic (2005 est. pop. 12,747,000), 150,803 sq mi (390,580 sq km), S central Africa. It is bordered on the north by Zambia, on the northeast and east by Mozambique, on the south by South Africa, and on the southwest and west by ...

» Read more about Zimbabwe at Encyclopedia.com

Robert Gabriel Mugabe
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

Robert Gabriel Mugabe , 1924-, president of Zimbabwe (1987-). A founder of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) in 1963 and a guerrilla leader, Mugabe jointly negotiated independence in 1979 with Joshua Nkomo's Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU). When Mugabe's ZANU won a majority in ...

» Read more about Robert Gabriel Mugabe at Encyclopedia.com

More Recommend Reading

A look at the 'man behind the fist'
Economist | May 27, 07

Loading...

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.