Zimbabwean opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai addresses his supporters at an election rally in his home town of Buhera. Photograph: Bishop Asare/EPA
A former trade union leader, Morgan Tsvangirai heads the larger faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Tsvangirai's MDC came close to winning power in parliamentary elections in 2000 and in a presidential vote in 2002.
Tsvangirai's credentials, however, were questioned after a serious split in MDC ranks in 2005, when he overruled a decision by the party's leadership to take part in elections for the senate and ordered a boycott.
Tsvangirai seemed a fading force after the MDC split, but has emerged as a strong challenger in this year's election. He grew in stature when he was badly beaten last year after taking part in a prayer meeting that police claimed was illegal.
Mugabe said the veteran trade unionist "deserved" his treatment for disobeying police orders, but pictures of a battered Tsvangirai only improved his reputation as a man courageous enough to stand up to an increasingly ruthless ruler.
The government accused Tsvangirai of plotting to kill Mugabe ahead of the controversial 2002 elections with the prosecution's case resting on the testimony of Ari Ben-Menashe, a Canada-based consultant.
Menashe testified that in a secretly filmed meeting in December 2001, Tsvangirai asked him to arrange Mugabe's assassination. The defence team said the tape was doctored as part of a plot to entrap Tsvangirai and the court subsequently acquitted Tsvangirai of the treason charges.
Before embarking on a political career, Tsvangirai used to be an official in Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and was plant foreman of the Bindura nickel mine for 10 years. Elected secretary general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions in 1988, Tsvangirai became increasingly active in politics as the economy deteriorated. In www.guardian.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment