‘Principled’ Mugabe will step down if he loses vote

ZIMBABWEAN President Robert Mugabe expects to win next month’s presidential runoff, but will not cling to power if he loses, the government newspaper reported yesterday.

“We are very, very confident we will win this election,” Emmerson Mnangagwa, a top Mugabe aide, was quoted as saying in yesterday's edition of The Herald, a government and ruling party mouthpiece.

But “if the president loses, he will be the first one to go on national television to acknowledge the result to the people,” Mnangagwa said. “He is a very principled hero.”

Opposition presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai claims he won the first vote on March 29 and the June 27 run-off is based on fraudulent results and part of a plot designed to keep Mugabe in power.

Independent human rights groups and Tsvangirai’s party say opposition supporters have been beaten and killed by government and ruling party thugs to ensure Mugabe wins the run-off.

Mugabe trailed Tsvangirai in the first round but, according to the official results, the opposition leader did not win the 50% plus one vote needed to avoid a run-off.