UPDATE: Thank you to YoursTruly for an update on the Mugabe situation from the BBC. It seems Reuters spoke too soon this morning and Mugabe still has some fight in him to 'win' the Zimbabwe presidential elections. Could it be that the whole 'concession of defeat' was actually a crafty ploy to boost the idea that the election was legitimate?
Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga:
"President Mugabe is going to fight to the last, and he's not giving up, he's not going anywhere, he hasn't lost the election".
I hope the Zimbabweans don't give up either!
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According to a Reuters report within the last hour, Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe has conceded defeat to his advisors, the military and his family.
I think the surprising thing about this story is that Mugabe would so easily give up power after having ruled so firmly since independence in 1980, 'winning' every election with a landslide and violently smashing any opposition groups who would dare to oppose his rule.
One answer could be his age and the unrest and poverty that his violent rule has caused.
The opposition and international observers said Mugabe rigged the last presidential election in 2002. But some analysts say discontent over daily hardships is too great for him to fix the result this time without risking major unrest.
As to what kind of regime will take Mugabe's place is unknown, but we can only hope it will be one less violent and more supportive of its ailing population.