Zimbabwe opposition willing to share power with ruling party

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Zimbabwe's opposition said it was willing to share power with the ruling party, but not with longtime President Robert Mugabe. Left unresolved was whether a runoff election would be held. Mugabe said he was willing to take part in a second round of voting after official results showed him in second place. However, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change was cool to the idea, saying on Friday that a runoff could not be held now in a climate of violence and repression. Earlier in the day, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission released results from the March 29 presidential election that showed opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai winning the most votes, but not the simple majority needed to avoid a runoff with Mugabe, the second-place finisher. Tsvangirai's deputy in the Movement for Democratic Change, Tendai Biti, acknowledged at a news conference that skipping a second round is a gamble that could result in another term for the 84-year-old Mugabe, who ruled since Zimbabwe's independence in 1980.