Analyzing the Zimbabwe election

Stuart Loory: Zimbabwe will have a run-off presidential election, with only one candidate in the race. He is 84-year-old President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled the country for 29 years. Mugabe was defeated in the March 29 election by opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai. Recently, Tsvangirai pulled out of the run-off and took refuge in the Dutch embassy at Harare, saying his life and his followers’ lives have been endangered by Mugabe and members of his ruling party, ZANU-PF. Tsvangirai says international intervention is needed to oust Mugabe and bring democracy to Zimbabwe. Mugabe says this is a plot by Western nations to bring Zimbabwe under their control. The United Nations, the African Union and many individual countries have called for Mugabe to be reasonable. Reports say Mugabe’s forces have murdered 85 opposition workers and beaten many more. The country has become a political, economic and social basket case. The inflation rate is more than 1,000 percent. Much of the work force has emigrated because there are no jobs, and the country exists on money sent by workers in the diaspora. Mugabe’s forces have said the election is a battle. Mugabe has said an X on the ballot has no guns, and only God can oust him. Can the election be canceled or postponed?