Tag Archives: Zimbabwe

That whole Zimbabwe thing

Today’s paper features a Bluffer’s Guide by yours truly on the political situation in Zimbabwe. A full week after the vote, presidential election results have yet to be released. Unofficial tallies though put opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the lead with just under half the votes. If Tsvangirai defeats president Robert Mugabe in a runoff (required when no candidate gets more than 50 per cent of the vote), it would be Mugabe’s first election defeat since taking office 28 years ago.

Something to think about as I’ll spend the equivalent of 500 million Zimbabwean dollars tonight on a fast-food dinner.

TWIM: Kids, money

Bryce Durafourt

This week, I talked with Bryce Durafourt (above), who’s running in the school board elections for the English Montreal School Board in TMR/Saint-Laurent. He’s 20, a McGill microbiology student, curler, and ran for city councillor the 2005 municipal election in Saint-Laurent, only to come dead-last as the only independent candidate.

So I asked him: What’s up with that?

Also this week (though not online) is an explainer about the status of the Canadian dollar, which is constantly hitting new highs compared to the U.S. dollar. It also mentions the situation in Zimbabwe, home of the least-valued currency in the world and one of the worst examples of hyperinflation since the 1940s.