All eyes on Tsvangirai

The surprising No victory seems to have catapulted only one person, Morgan Tsvangirai. The eyes of the world are now on him and the party he leads the Movement for Democratic Change.

One report has even described him as a burly trade unionist who was forced by poverty to leave school early and now has a chance to become the country’s next leader. Tsvangirai is riding on the unpopularity of Mugabe rather than on the economic and political policies of his own party.

A charismatic speaker, Tsvangirai is used to crowds. He is an orator, just like Mugabe was during his hey days and he has the support of the workers.

But up to now, although the party has its manifesto, it is not still very clear what the MDC will do that is different from ZANU-PF.

He says for example his party is committed to a social democratic system which means that it believes in an open market but it does not believe in an unbridled open market.

“We believe in a market that generates wealth but a market which then creates and has social responsibility to its community,” he says.

Whatever that means, it can win him votes because at the moment people are voting against Mugabe than for the opponent.

But Mugabe will not be contesting the April elections.

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