Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s corrupt leader Robert Mugabe has agreed to step down as president by December, the London Independent reported. Under a deal brokered by President Bush and South African President Thabo Mbeki, after Mugabe resigns, the U.S. will give Zimbabwe up to $10 billion in aid. But important differences over succession must still be sorted out. Bush wants the new president to be chosen through free elections, while Mbeki wants to allow Mugabe to appoint a successor from within his party. In 22 years of one-party rule, Mugabe has imprisoned and intimidated political opponents and driven the once-prosperous country to economic ruin.
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