Liberation hero Mugabe defies the world

By Cris Chinaka

HARARE (Reuters) - Once hailed as a liberation hero and democratic champion, Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has defied the world by pressing ahead with a run-off election in which he was the only candidate.

The 84-year-old veteran of the fight against white minority rule has remained defiant since losing to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the first round of voting in March, accusing the very Western countries that criticize his leadership of being responsible for Zimbabwe's woes.

The opposition and other critics say Mugabe is a dictator who has ruined a once prosperous country. He has come under increasing criticism from African leaders for violence against opposition supporters and for not calling off the vote.

Nelson Mandela, Africa's most iconic figure, said in a rare political comment this week that he was saddened by "the tragic failure of leadership in our neighboring Zimbabwe".

But Mugabe, who thrives in defiance, ignored unprecedented pressure from inside Africa and further afield and pressed ahead with a vote that is sure to extend his 28-year hold on power.

Mugabe is the only leader many of Zimbabwe's 13 million people have known but under his stewardship the economy has plunged into disaster.

Inflation is the highest in the world, officially at 165,000 percent but some analysts say the real figure is now a surreal 9 million percent. Millions of Zimbabweans have fled to neighboring states to escape poverty and unemployment.

FIRST DEFEAT

Mugabe's rival Morgan Tsvangirai, a thorn in his side for years, handed him his first ever defeat in the first round of elections on March 29 but fell short of the majority needed for outright victory.

Tsvangirai pulled out of the vote a week ago because of a campaign of violence since the first vote that he says killed almost 90 of his supporters.

"The world is hearing and the world is seeing that Mr. Mugabe is asking Zimbabweans to maim, abduct and kill other Zimbabweans as a campaign strategy...," Tsvangirai wrote in a letter to supporters on Friday.

Mugabe was known in liberal international circles in the 1970s as the thinking man's guerrilla. He was jailed for 10 years in 1964 for opposing white minority rule in the then-Rhodesia.

After a seven-year bush war ended in a negotiated settlement with Britain and white leader Ian Smith, Mugabe was elected as the first black prime minister. He offered forgiveness and reconciliation and was hailed in the West.

He expanded schooling for blacks and presided over a booming economy. After two terms as prime minister, he rewrote the constitution and won election as president in 1990.

The change was possible after he crushed a five-year revolt in Matabeleland province, where the discovery of mass graves provoked an international outcry over suspected atrocities. Mugabe's troops killed thousands of people in the conflict.