The Zimbabwean people are still waiting for the results of the elections held almost two weeks ago.  The opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change, led by Morgan Tsvangirai, claim they won and that Robert Mugabe, the president who has been in power for 28 years, and his administration have been holding on to the results.  The court is suppose to rule on whether or not the administration will be obligated to release the results, and the opposition party says that the people will act if the results are delayed even further.  Mugabe has called for a run-off election, claiming that the opposition party did not get the necessary 50% of the vote to win in the first round election.  The opposition party fears that in the meantime, Mugabe will continue to use violence to suppress opposition and intimidate voters leading up to the runoff.  Mugabe has remained in power through sketchy means, to say the least.  The 2002 elections ended with many accusations of widespread rigging and intimidation.  Even this year’s elections are not without similar claims.  Many expected the elections to be rigged.  Attempts to skew the election went as far as outright force.  In the time since the election, the opposition party, MDC, has announced that it won’t participate in the run-off because they already won a sufficient amount of the vote and Mugabe is trying to create an atmosphere of intimidation that will lead to unfair elections (the Washington Post has an article that details the implications of this).  Indicators of military rule have already been established.  Mugabe has continued to clamp down on the opposition.  Key leaders have been arrested and opposition protests have been banned in Harare.  Leaders from Southern Africa have agreed to meet for a Summit this weekend, including Tsvangirai as well as Thebo Mbeki, president of South Africa.  Mugabe has pulled out of the summit last minute. 

The situation in Zimbabwe raises questions of when problems in a country should be internationalized.  Mbeki was slow to involve South Africa despite eagerness of other Southern African leaders.  The opposition party has pushed for more involvement from southern Africa, referring to a history of slow response.  MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti said, "We cannot wait until dead bodies start littering Zimbabwe." 

But what is appropriate action and who should be the first to get involved?  My instinct is that other countries in southern Africa should definitely take the lead on this.   They should continue to pressure Mugabe to resign.  However, right now the situation is very unstable.  If violence continues, passive support to the opposition party from a few countries may not be enough.  The summit meeting this weekend may be a step towards international intervention.   One thing is for sure, tensions will continue to run high leading up to Monday.

Before I end, I would like to point to a blog post by a Zimbabwean-born who now lives in Europe.  I think it provides some important history behind the current situation and reminds us of how unpredictable the future always is.  While Zimbabwe, then Rhodesia, was fighting its liberation battle, Mugabe was the liberator.  Today, he is the dictator that won’t let go.  As he continues to clamp down on the opposition, we will have to wait for Monday.