Zimbabwe's Opposition Parties To Unite After Election Run-Off

Harare, Zimbabwe (AHN) - Political analysts said on Wednesday that the reported plans of the two main opposition parties to form an alliance against President Robert Mugabe, should elections on Saturday fail is "tool little, too late."

The front runners of the two parties, Morgan Tsvangirai of Movement for Democratic Change, and Simba Makoni, an independent challenger both had reportedly agreed to form a coalition and present a united front following a run-off elections on March 29.

Hernon Hanekon, a current affairs political analysts claimed that the move of the opposition may no longer stop any planned rigging in the elections by the ruling party citing an overwhelming rigging machinery of Mugabe's camp.

"Personally, I think they should have formed that alliance long time ago. Nothing plays more in the hands of the Mugabe regime than to have a divided opposition. I'm not saying that it will materialize that a second presidential round might be called for," Hanekon said, according to the Voice of America.com

He explained that "if the winning candidate does not poll more than 50% of the votes", he believes that opposition leader, Tsvangirai and the independent candidate and former Finance minister, Makoni, would "throw their forces together".

"They will make a compromise and one of the two will be the candidate, should such a second round take place," Hanekom emphasized, according to VoA.

Even if the opposition wins, the analyst said it remains a tough governance for the winning opposition.

"When such second round takes place and the opposition wins the position of the president, it would be interesting to see what will take pace because I do have a very strong feeling that ZANU-PF will still be the majority in (the) parliament, Hanekon was quoted as saying by VoA.

Meanwhile, incumbent Pres. Mugabe and his supporters from ZANU-PF party brushed aside the reported coalition, describing it as "weak". Mugabe also vehemently denied rigging allegations hurled against him by the opposition groups.