They were scared perhaps, Serg?
Remember, this is the country where public gatherings of more than 4 people are illegal - they're forced to do what they're told and it's hard to spread opposition opinions and create a coordinated opposition with this law. If it wasn't there, Mugabe would've done even worse - as it is, it's damage limitation but people still see enough sense as to how Mugabe's affecting them so badly and will take anything, hence the opposition likely to win.
Remember, this is the country where public gatherings of more than 4 people are illegal - they're forced to do what they're told and it's hard to spread opposition opinions and create a coordinated opposition with this law. If it wasn't there, Mugabe would've done even worse - as it is, it's damage limitation but people still see enough sense as to how Mugabe's affecting them so badly and will take anything, hence the opposition likely to win.
Apparently 50% of the people weren't scared to vote against him.TheDarkRaven wrote:
They were scared perhaps, Serg?
Remember, this is the country where public gatherings of more than 4 people are illegal - they're forced to do what they're told and it's hard to spread opposition opinions and create a coordinated opposition with this law. If it wasn't there, Mugabe would've done even worse - as it is, it's damage limitation but people still see enough sense as to how Mugabe's affecting them so badly and will take anything, hence the opposition likely to win.
If Mugabe wins, I'll have no doubt it was rigged.
Dead people.
... That was a reference to legally dead people still somehow voting...
Either way if Mugabe gets elected what will heppen? I doubt the people will take it lying down, will it be another Kenya?
The military has pledged it's support to Mugabe and issued a warning to opposition that claiming victory before the "official" tally is complete is a form of coup. The Military has also been quoted as saying they wouldn't acknoledge a new president. This would of course be on behalf of the top brass rather than the rank and file, in a state of civil war the soldiers may fight as ordered or join everyone else in protest.
If Mugabe does lose what will happen? As mentioned the military has pledged it's support to Mugabe and said it won't reckognise any successor. Will Mugabe leave quietly or will he refuse to hand over power? Both are possible.
Personally I hope that even after attempts to rig the election which is pretty much the case here, (most likely,) Mugabe loses and decides to leave the country. Opposition leader Tsvangirai in polls is the most likely candidate to be elected, by poll count I think he had 60% at one stage while Mugabe had 30%, it's fairly obvious just by that that Mugabe has lost which means there is more likelyhood of violence if he does manage to successfully rig the election.
The military has pledged it's support to Mugabe and issued a warning to opposition that claiming victory before the "official" tally is complete is a form of coup. The Military has also been quoted as saying they wouldn't acknoledge a new president. This would of course be on behalf of the top brass rather than the rank and file, in a state of civil war the soldiers may fight as ordered or join everyone else in protest.
If Mugabe does lose what will happen? As mentioned the military has pledged it's support to Mugabe and said it won't reckognise any successor. Will Mugabe leave quietly or will he refuse to hand over power? Both are possible.
Personally I hope that even after attempts to rig the election which is pretty much the case here, (most likely,) Mugabe loses and decides to leave the country. Opposition leader Tsvangirai in polls is the most likely candidate to be elected, by poll count I think he had 60% at one stage while Mugabe had 30%, it's fairly obvious just by that that Mugabe has lost which means there is more likelyhood of violence if he does manage to successfully rig the election.
[Blinking eyes thing]
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/tzyon
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How do idiots like Mugabe hold on to power when they run the country into the ground so bad? I'm guessing the soldiers are still getting paid and fed otherwise he'd be hung from a tree quicker than you can say "Shikaka".
Isn't Mugabe the guy who exiled all the white Zimbabwean farmers in the midst of famine?
Yep, and I think he's also responsible for rejecting the GM food that charities have provided to feed the hungry there. It's a really fucked up situation.Havok wrote:
Isn't Mugabe the guy who exiled all the white Zimbabwean farmers in the midst of famine?
I hate to say it, but Europe should just go back in there and kick some ass. They need a foreign country to run them, since they have clearly shown themselves incapable of self-rule.
Africa just needs oil to solve all their problems with inability to self-rule.
Africa is probably the most natural resource-rich continent in the world. Oil is abundant, along with other essential resources. The problem with your statement is that most of the multinational businesses harvesting resources from the region don't give a fuck who they deal with, as long as the ruling despot allows them to conduct business. The multinationals turn their head to the atrocious, actions of the despots, the despotic government becomes wealthier (rarely sharing the income), and no pressure is put on or by the governments creating the trade agreements. As long as multinationals get to rape and pillage the land and the despots become richer, who gives a fuck about the starving people working the fields and mines for pennies?nukchebi0 wrote:
Africa just needs oil to solve all their problems with inability to self-rule.
There is countless documentation of this. A good start would be http://www.darwinsnightmare.com/
Last edited by KEN-JENNINGS (2008-03-31 18:03:48)
I was more making fun of how the US primarily cares about the Middle East because of the oil (did we protect Saudi Arabia in 1991 because we liked them?).
No, we protected Kuwait, despite telling Saddam that we wouldn't do anything.nukchebi0 wrote:
I was more making fun of how the US primarily cares about the Middle East because of the oil (did we protect Saudi Arabia in 1991 because we liked them?).
We ally with Saudi Arabia because they are economic allies. Saudis invest the money we give them back into the American economy. Piss off Middle East investors (or China) and the US economy is fucked.
Last edited by KEN-JENNINGS (2008-03-31 19:23:54)
Oh, I see. I am near certain the protection of Saudi Arabia was also a factor in the Persian Gulf operations, though.KEN-JENNINGS wrote:
No, we protected Kuwait, despite telling Saddam that we wouldn't do anything.nukchebi0 wrote:
I was more making fun of how the US primarily cares about the Middle East because of the oil (did we protect Saudi Arabia in 1991 because we liked them?).
We ally with Saudi Arabia because they are economic allies. Saudis invest the money we give them back into the American economy. Piss off Middle East investors (or China) and the US economy is fucked.
Who Voted for Mugabe?
<*raises hand*>
Sorry, I thought it would be funny.
<*raises hand*>
Sorry, I thought it would be funny.
Mugabe to resign?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080401/wl … mugabequit
Some electoral landslides defy all attempts to rig. Robert Mugabe appears to have reached that conclusion, according to sources for AFP. They report that the Zimbabwean dictator has decided to leave power after almost 28 years. The defeat from this weekend convinced him that his time had run out:
And what a disaster Mugabe has been. He took the former nation of Rhodesia and reduced it to pauper status. Zimbabwe had a booming agriculture industry and the beginnings of industrialization when he took charge. Thanks to a mix of statism, post-colonial petulance, and sheer stupidity, Zimbabwe cannot feed itself after being a net exporter, and all of the capital that promised to bring modernization to the country has fled to avoid confiscation.
The MDC has a daunting task in picking up the pieces. At least they could do no worse than Mugabe.
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/mugab … 1057986986
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080401/wl … mugabequit
Some electoral landslides defy all attempts to rig. Robert Mugabe appears to have reached that conclusion, according to sources for AFP. They report that the Zimbabwean dictator has decided to leave power after almost 28 years. The defeat from this weekend convinced him that his time had run out:
Right now, the only hurdle is the army chief of staff, who may be wondering what happens to Mugabe’s collaborators when the MDC takes charge of Zimbabwe. The people surrounding Mugabe now rigged the last election, and probably most of the elections since Mugabe took power in 1980, first as Prime Minister and then as President. In the aftermath of Mugabe’s departure, Zimbabwe will want an accounting of the men who kept their disaster in motion for almost three decades.Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe is ready to step down after he accepted he failed to win the country’s presidential election, a senior source in his ruling party and diplomats told AFP Tuesday.
An official in Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party said the long-ruling president was prepared to step down but was still trying to win agreement from the army’s chief of staff Constantine Chiwenga.
“He is prepared to step down because he doesn’t want to embarrass himself by going to a run-off,” the source said on condition of anonymity.
And what a disaster Mugabe has been. He took the former nation of Rhodesia and reduced it to pauper status. Zimbabwe had a booming agriculture industry and the beginnings of industrialization when he took charge. Thanks to a mix of statism, post-colonial petulance, and sheer stupidity, Zimbabwe cannot feed itself after being a net exporter, and all of the capital that promised to bring modernization to the country has fled to avoid confiscation.
The MDC has a daunting task in picking up the pieces. At least they could do no worse than Mugabe.
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/mugab … 1057986986
Xbone Stormsurgezz
It looks like this Jackass is aiming for immunity.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/video/2008/apr/03/mugabe
The MDC apparently is willing to negotiate a soft exit for Mugabe. He deserves a lot worse, but getting Zimbabwe on its feet again has to take first priority. That requires Mugabe and his regime’s removal before any improvements can occur, and the avoidance of civil war has to be the highest priority.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/video/2008/apr/03/mugabe
After 28 year of disastrous rule as Prime Minister and then President, Mugabe has destroyed the national economy, rigged elections, abused his power to maintain his regime, and perhaps committed even worse crimes about which only his victims know. Mugabe knows that Zimbabweans will want justice when he gets weak enough for them to seek it, and that time may rapidly be approaching.Robert Mugabe’s aides have told Zimbabwe’s opposition leaders that he is prepared to give up power in return for guarantees, including immunity from prosecution for past crimes.
But the aides have warned that if the Movement for Democratic Change does not agree then Mugabe is threatening to declare emergency rule and force another presidential election in 90 days, according to senior opposition sources.
The opposition said the MDC leadership is in direct talks with the highest levels of the army but it is treating the approach with caution because they are distrustful of the individuals involved and calling for direct contact with the president, fearing delaying tactics.
Those fears were reinforced last night when at one point Zimbabwe’s election commission abruptly halted the release of official results from the Saturday’s election for “logistical reasons” and the police raided opposition offices.
The MDC apparently is willing to negotiate a soft exit for Mugabe. He deserves a lot worse, but getting Zimbabwe on its feet again has to take first priority. That requires Mugabe and his regime’s removal before any improvements can occur, and the avoidance of civil war has to be the highest priority.
Xbone Stormsurgezz
Give him what he wants so he thinks he's in the clear, then put a bullet in him.Kmarion wrote:
It looks like this Jackass is aiming for immunity.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/video/2008/apr/03/mugabeAfter 28 year of disastrous rule as Prime Minister and then President, Mugabe has destroyed the national economy, rigged elections, abused his power to maintain his regime, and perhaps committed even worse crimes about which only his victims know. Mugabe knows that Zimbabweans will want justice when he gets weak enough for them to seek it, and that time may rapidly be approaching.Robert Mugabe’s aides have told Zimbabwe’s opposition leaders that he is prepared to give up power in return for guarantees, including immunity from prosecution for past crimes.
But the aides have warned that if the Movement for Democratic Change does not agree then Mugabe is threatening to declare emergency rule and force another presidential election in 90 days, according to senior opposition sources.
The opposition said the MDC leadership is in direct talks with the highest levels of the army but it is treating the approach with caution because they are distrustful of the individuals involved and calling for direct contact with the president, fearing delaying tactics.
Those fears were reinforced last night when at one point Zimbabwe’s election commission abruptly halted the release of official results from the Saturday’s election for “logistical reasons” and the police raided opposition offices.
The MDC apparently is willing to negotiate a soft exit for Mugabe. He deserves a lot worse, but getting Zimbabwe on its feet again has to take first priority. That requires Mugabe and his regime’s removal before any improvements can occur, and the avoidance of civil war has to be the highest priority.