Zimbabwe flirts with power-sharing
President Mugabe and archrival Morgan Tsvangirai start dealing.
What happened
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai made a first step toward a possible power-sharing arrangement on Monday, signing a framework agreement on talks. The meeting, moderated by South African President Thabo Mbeki, was the first between Mugabe and Tsavagirai in 10 years. (Reuters)
What the commentators said
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
These talks may lead to nothing, said the London Independent in an editorial, but “the fact that a meeting took place at all, that an agreement was signed, and that hands were shaken” is a sign of progress. Africa has offered only “pusillanimous condemnation” of Mugabe’s illegitimate June reelection, and this deal is a "first sign that perhaps an African solution might be possible.”
“It’s understandable that the African community likes this solution,” said Joshua Keating in Foreign Policy’s Passport blog. It ends bloodshed while giving token concessions to an “opposition who, after all, won the original election.” With “feeble” deals like this, and one in Kenya, African elections in which an entrenched strongman loses are becoming “just a starting point for negotiations.”
It’s telling that the deal coincided with the Bank of Zimbabwe issuing its first-ever 100 billion dollar banknotes, said the British daily The Guardian in an editorial. One of those bills won’t even buy a loaf of bread, and this Mugabe-caused erosion of livelihood is what really matters to Zimbabweans. A political deal, unless it removes Mugabe from power, "will be as worthless as one of his banknotes."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Crossword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK