Mugabe's Reign of Terror Ensures His "Election"

"Mugabe's Thugs Impose Reign of Terror in Zimbabwe" from Der Spiegel reports on the horrific barbarity of Robert Mugabe who has murdered his opposition to the point that Morgan Tsvangerai who was to compete against him in Friday's elections has quit the fight - as Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe for 28 years, has made war on his citizens and denied Tsvangerai who won the first round of the election, the right to lead the nation.

"Last of the Big Men" from the Wall Street Journal

Zimbabweans were due to go to the polls this Friday to chose between Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the run-off election. But with the level of intimidation running so high, the vote would have been a farce. Tsvangirai announced on Sunday that he was pulling out of the election hours after his party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), reported that its rally had been broken up by pro-Mugabe militia. "We in the MDC have resolved that we will no longer participate in this violent, illegitimate sham of an election process," he told reporters in Harare.

Tsvangarai beat Mugabe in the first round of voting on March 29 but failed to win an absolute majority. He polled 48 percent compared to Mugabe's 43 percent, that despite a concerted effort by the ruling party to manipulate the poll. The MDC even managed to win the majority in the parliamentary elections.