Mugabe 'may quit as president'
01/04/2008 - 16:01:01Zimbabwe’s long-serving president Robert Mugabe may be considering standing down according to reports today.
His advisers and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai are discussing the possibility of him relinquishing power, a source in the country’s Electoral Commission said.
The source said Mugabe has been told he is far behind Mr Tsvangirai in preliminary results of Saturday’s presidential elections and that there could be an uprising if he rigged the ballot to declare himself the winner.
Independent observers say trends indicate Mr Tsvangirai won the most votes in the presidential race, but not enough to avoid a re-run which could be humiliating for the 84-year-old president.
No returns from the presidential vote have been made public, fuelling fears of rigging.
Mugabe has been accused of stealing past elections, though that was before Zimbabwe’s economy collapsed and leading members of his own party openly defied him.
There has been no official confirmation from either side.
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