Timeline of Zimbabwe crisis since March 29

• What they said about Zimbabwe deal

• What they said about Zimbabwe deal

• Mbeki announces deal, calls for international support

• Mbeki's 'twin cabinet' plan has Mugabe on the backfoot

• DOCUMENTS: The power-sharing document Tsvangirai refuses to sign

• Text: Memorandum of Understanding between Zanu PF and MDC

Posted to the web: 12/09/2008 02:48:02
RECENT events in Zimbabwe, where President Robert Mugabe and his rivals agreed to share power Thursday.

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March 29: Zimbabweans vote peacefully in presidential, parliamentary and local council elections.

April 2: Opposition Movement for Democratic Change says its own tallies show its leader Morgan Tsvangirai won presidential elections outright with 50.3 percent of vote.

April 4: Ruling Zanu PF party says there will be a runoff and endorses President Robert Mugabe as its candidate. Opposition goes to court to try to force release of all election results; court rejects demand.

May 2: Electoral Commission releases presidential results, saying Tsvangirai won most votes, but not enough to avoid runoff with Mugabe, the second-place finisher.

May 10: Tsvangirai, who left Zimbabwe after the election, announces in South Africa that he will participate in presidential runoff.

May 16: Electoral Commission sets runoff date as June 27, after moving the deadline to 90 days after official election results are released — beyond the legally required 21 days.

May 17: Tsvangirai postpones return to Zimbabwe after his party said he learned about a planned assassination attempt.

May 24: Tsvangirai returns to Zimbabwe.

June 3: Government orders international aid groups to suspend operations, after accusing them of campaigning for the opposition. Ban is lifted Aug. 29.

June 12: MDC-Tsvangirai secretary-general Tendai Biti, arrested at Harare airport upon returning from South Africa. He is later charged with treason, but granted bail and released from jail June 26.

June 22: Tsvangirai announces he is pulling out of the runoff, citing violence against his supporters.

June 27: Second round of voting is held. Tsvangirai's name remains on the ballot even though he withdrew from the race. Residents say they were forced to vote by threats of violence or arson from Mugabe supporters.

June 29: Electoral officials say Mugabe won the runoff and he is sworn in for a sixth term. Results show more than 2 million votes for Mugabe (85.5 percent), 233,000 for Tsvangirai, and 131,000 defaced or spoiled votes.

June 29: Mugabe sworn in for sixth term.

July 1: African Union passes resolution on Zimbabwe encouraging Mugabe to initiate dialogue with Tsvangirai “for the creation of a government of national unity”.

July 11: Russia and China veto a UN resolution sponsored by Britain and America seeking to impose sanctions on the country.

July 21: Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara sign Memorandum of Understanding, kicking-off power-sharing talks which commence the same week in South Africa.

September 11: South African President Thabo Mbeki announces that Zanu PF and the two MDC factions have agreed a power sharing deal to be signed on Monday, September 15, 2008.

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