What Next in Zimbabwe?

What Next in Zimbabwe?

On June 27th the runoff elections for the presidency took place. Long- time President Robert Mugabe was the only candidate. His contender Morgan Tsvangirai who won a majority of seats with his opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in the parliamentary elections on March 29th but missed the 50 % margin for the presidency “withdrew” from the runoff elections at short notice.
At least 86 opposition supporters were killed in a terror campaign directed against the MDC in the past weeks and months. Thousands are on the run. The desolate economic situation leaves the population in an impoverished state.
Tsvangirai calls for a resolute intervention by the international community- ultimately a military intervention by the UN.
What strategies will the regime pursue in the coming weeks? What effects will the divisions within the ruling ZANU-PF which have become apparent in the last months have? Who governs the country really?
What are the options for the opposition after the runoff election? What contributions are other African states to make – especially South Africa as powerful neighbour and as official mediator of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)? What is the role of European states and the US? Background information and analysis after the elections in Zimbabwe in this dossier.