President Robert Mugabe "won" another term in office after intimidating his opponent Morgan Tsvangirai (who won the first round of voting) into dropping out of their runoff election. The two parties have been encouraged by the international community to come together in a power-sharing agreement for the good of Zimbabwe.
The two sides have been talking for weeks. Mugabe's idea was to make Tsvangirai prime minister, giving him responsibility for the economy, while keeping control of the military and state security services; or in other words, to give Tsvangirai all of the nation's problems while keeping the power for himself. Tsvangirai was wise enough not to take that deal.
He wants the prime minister position, but wants it to have some real power, essentially making Mugabe's presidency a ceremonial one. That's where the negotiations have hung up.
Tsvangirai's MDC party did score a victory on Monday by winning an election for the Speaker's position in Zimbabwe's parliament. It marks the first time in nearly 30 years that a Mugabe loyalist has not held the post and gives the MDC some real power in the government.
The power sharing talks will continue despite the growing tension between the two sides. Foreign governments are withholding much needed aid until a unity government is in place. Thanks to policies designed to keep Mugabe in power, Zimbabwe's economy has fallen apart, with inflation said to be at a mind-boggling rate of more than one million percent per year.
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