Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, is calling on President Robert Mugabe to step down to pave the way for a transitional government. He says that should be followed by the writing of a new constitution and internationally supervised fresh elections. Mr. Tsvangirai made the call during a weekend rally by thousands of his supporters in Bulawayo. The gathering came as the possibility of mass strikes loomed on the horizon. Zimbabwe's embattled economy now has an inflation rate of over 900 percent.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told English to Africa reporter Ashenafi Abedje Mr. Tsvangirai’s call for President Mugabe’s resignation “captures the thinking and the attitudes in the country.” He says most Zimbabweans feel “we need a new government, we need a new democratic dispensation, but for us to be able to achieve that, we need to have a de-construction of the dictatorship.”
Chamisa says, “Zimbabweans are sick and tired of this aura of invincibility by the regime. Zimbabweans have made a clear position that they are going to pay the ultimate price.” He says the priority issues for the MDC are “the restoration of the rule of law, a reconstruction framework, the restoration of social services that have collapsed under the dictatorship.”
The MDC spokesman says “the international community plays a critical role in any democratic struggle.” He says “international efforts need to compliment the MDC’s domestic campaign, and we have to compliment them from the domestic front.”