tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159627187542378557.post-75509050068946622782008-04-02T13:13:00.001-05:002008-04-04T19:45:11.942-05:00With official Presidential results from last Saturday's elections still unclear, Zimbaweans are looking at a very long walk to recovery from the political, economic and social upheaval of the Mugabe years.<br />That Zanu-PF still maintains a considerable number of seats in Parliament will make it particularly hard to reach consensus on future economic and political reforms needed to put Zimbabwe on a new path.<br /><br />The US and the World financial institutions are currently pre-occupied with averting a US and global economy recesion, whatever the form and nature of the new Zimbabwe government, it will certainly find it hard to raise funding for economic and social recovery.<br /><br />As Afghanistan's post taliban government has learnt there is a vast and increasing gap between pledged and actual funding received .<br /><br />Zimbabwe's parliament results show no clean break from the past because Zanu-PF maintains more than a third of parliamentary seats, this though a result of a democratic process, may actually prove the people's worst enemy. The degree of Zimbabwe's current economic and political troubles require a government with a sound and convincing mandate, to adress. Whatever ambitious economic or political reform programs MDC has will require the cooperation of the Zanu-PF members of parliament to pass; a real challenge given the level of animosity between them.<br /><br />This also gives Mugabe, though he lost the Presidential vote, leverage to negotiate an exit on his terms; as in the Kenya situation, Zimbabweans may be looking at a bitter complex of a government of the new and the old.<br /><br />Because of this long walk to recovery, countries in the region, especially South Africa may still have to put up Zimbabweans crawling through their border fences for a breath of fresh air and a chance at real money.Kashikuluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293103518471430860noreply@blogger.com