The major Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has been acquitted of criminal charges brought against him during the 2002 elections. According to the verdict of the court he was falsely accused of plotting to kill incumbent Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai said afterward that his acquittal was “a serious morale boost to the MDC and the people of Zimbabwe.”
Under severe sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States as a result of the “stolen” 2002 election, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has been under pressure to resign. With Tsvangirai’s party already threatening to boycott next year’s elections, political tensions are building.