After his loss last week in Zimbabwe's presidential election, opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai was back at his desk in Harare, his mobile
phone buzzing, to organize a national party conference to plan future
strategy. Relaxed after what he said was "my first good night's sleep
in weeks," he spoke to TIME's southern Africa correspondent PETER
HAWTHORNE by phone. Excerpts:
TIME: What does the election result mean for Zimbabwe?
Tsvangirai: This development has set the country on a very
uncertain future. The damage that may follow will be nobody's fault
but Mugabe's. He knows that his government is unsustainable because
it is illegitimate and that both nationally and internationally he
will never be recognized. The people had to choose. Don't vote for
Mugabe and there's war; vote for Mugabe and there's starvation. What
sort of a choice is that?
TIME: What steps can you and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) take now to protest the result?
Tsvangirai: There are various steps, cluding legalin, ones,
that we are considering. But at the moment, we're still confined to
the political process in which our people have to be briefed and understand
their choices. Ultimately, it will be they who decide how we proceed.
TIME: Is a revolution brewing in Zimbabwe? Tsvangirai: I think the people are indeed seething with anger. They know that the majority did not vote for Mugabe. They know that he stopped the ballots and that he tried by all means, any means, to achieve what was a predetermined outcome. But the people also recognize that an open confrontation with Mugabe would be suicidal. There are other, nonviolent options for opposition that are being discussed at various levels of our party structure.
TIME: Can the MDC survive as a political opposition?
Tsvangirai: Yes. If Mugabe keeps going for the opposition, it will be a self-defeating strategy. Because we have proved that opposition will always be there. It is legitimate. And we believe it represents the majority of national sentiment. If he goes for the opposition in a process of retribution, it won't help him. Instead of trying to wipe out the opposition he will have to face national issues of starvation, the collapsing economy and lack of confidence. We can help him face those issues.
TIME: Are you disappointed in the endorsement of the election by African observers?
Tsvangirai: I can't understand how two people watching the same event can come up with such different conclusions. It can only mean that one already had preconceived ideas, or that one was pushed to take a certain position because it was politically convenient. I have read the report of the South African observer mission and it says that the opposition participated in the election, therefore it was a legitimate outcome. What a strange way of thinking.
TIME: Where does the MDC go from here?
Tsvangirai: We've suffered a temporary setback. The people are angry, make no mistake. But what we need to do is to channel this anger positively, not negatively. We believe we have the people behind us. They are not going to let up until Mugabe goes. That is all a part of our political program, our focus.
