Thursday, February 12, 2009

Morgan Tsvangirai named Prime Minister of Zimbabwe

Following nearly a year of political turmoil, Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in today as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe's coalition government. Facing rampant hyperinflation, a widespread cholera outbreak and almost 90% unemployment Mr. Tsvangirai steps into a particularly difficult state of affairs. The former Secretary-General of the Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and founder of the opposition party the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Mr. Tsvangirai is no stranger to difficult times. Two years ago he found himself tortured and imprisoned by loyalists of President Robert Mugabe. Now he is expected to put past ills aside, and help move a country crippled at the hands of a despotic regime into a prosperous future. The real question is, will this political experiment succeed, or will today’s events simply mark another chapter in the traumatic history of failed African states? Curiously, Mr. Tsvangirai must now work to rebuild his struggling country with the same man who drove it into the ground. Truly, the prospects for Zimbabwe’s future are inextricably linked to the tenuous relationship between President and Prime Minister.
By: Freedom-Kai Phillips

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