ZIMBABWE: Two-thirds want Mugabe to step down

Most Zimbabweans want 78-year-old President Robert Mugabe to retire, according to results of a survey released on Monday, Sept 16, a couple of days ahead of local elections.

The survey by the Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOS), a Harare-based think-tank, said 65.6 percent of the 1,768 respondents in a random survey wanted Mugabe to immediately announce his retirement plans. Even respondents in areas that support Zanu-PF wanted the long-time leader to announce that he plans to stand down. But the "majority of respondents favour dialogue and not confrontation as a way of solving the country's problems" it added.

The survey, conducted four months after Mugabe's disputed election victory in March, also showed that 44.9 percent of the respondents want a re-run of the disputed election. (SouthScan)