It needs a lot of courage to stare defeat in the face. And Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe, holds no illusion about having it. At the first signs of a possible rout in the elections held on March 29, he has gone about the business of making the necessary amendments with the same diligence he had shown in 2002, the year he won again, quelling grave suspicions about the fairness of the electoral exercise. The job at hand, however, is more complicated than it was previously. Having learnt from experience, the main Opposition — Movement for Democratic Reform, headed by Morgan Tsvangirai — this time has photographic evidence of the election results in 8,000 polling stations which shows that Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF has done badly, and alarmingly so. The president, nevertheless, is unwilling to throw his hands up so soon. The pliant election commission, not unexpectedly, is advancing with the remaining count at a snail’s pace. The final results may show that none of the parties has gained 50 per cent of the vote, making the presidential run-off at the end of three weeks inevitable. But they will, at least, allow Mr Mugabe to save face, and even work out an honourable exit route, although the last may not be worrying the president much.

There are reasons why Mr Mugabe can still work this electoral wonder and hope to retain his grip on power. Given his circumstances, his optimism may seem misplaced. Since Mr Mugabe faced the first serious opposition to his two-decade rule in 2000, when his attempt to completely monopolize power was thwarted, the country has been on a perpetual downslide. Inflation is now sky-high, employment opportunities zero, poverty is at its peak and life expectancy is as low as 35. Yet, there is little urgency among the world powers to wade into the African backwaters again and muddy their hands in trying to end this ‘humanitarian crisis’. Big brother South Africa is expected to do the tough-talking, but Zimbabwe’s neighbour seems to be in the grip of a peculiar complacence. Internally, Mr Mugabe has little to fear as long as his trusted and well-paid army generals, made happier by his land redistribution, continue to do his bidding and believe in his world view. And they are not alone. There are still innumerable, particularly in Zimbabwe’s rural areas, who remain committed to the dream Mr Mugabe sold them. Perhaps the run-off will confirm if Zimbabwe has finally woken up to its nightmare.