An unidentified woman listens to Morgan Tsvangirai addressing a crowd in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe during the March 2008 election campaign. (Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, Associated Press)

According to unofficial tallies, Morgan Tsvangirai came out on top in the March 2008 presidential election in Zimbabwe. Whether he received the 50 per cent plus one vote needed to avoid a run-off ballot was still unclear.

But several days after the balloting, Tsvangirai was stuck challenging President Robert Mugabe for control of Zimbabwe. Official results had not been released, and the battle moved to the courts and the realm of public opinion.

In an exclusive interview with Adrienne Arsenault and Laura Lynch of CBC News on April 6, Tsvangirai remained confident of eventual victory and upbeat about Zimbabwe's future, despite meeting the journalists at a Harare safe house.

Arsenault: Mr. Tsvangirai, will you ever be the president of Zimbabwe?

By the will of the people, for sure I will be president of this country.

Arsenault: What's it going to take to make that happen?

We need to overcome a few hurdles, some of which are very evident. But there is no doubt in my mind that we are in a transitional phase — not just elections, but a transfer of power. And I realize there are transitional challenges … but the circumstances are very obvious. The people have spoken.

Arsenault: How far are you willing to push your case right now to be president?

I think the worst hurdle is over. What is needed is to finalize it. The electoral commission has not announced the results; it's dragging its feet. But as far as I'm concerned, they will have to be forced to make those announcements and we know that once that announcement is affirmed, then certainly the final hurdle in that dispute is then settled.

Arsenault: Do you really believe that the real results will be released?

Yes, I have no doubt [about] it. They will be released. … We know the result; ZPF (Zimbabwe Patriotic Front, Mugabe's party) knows the result. That's why they are all running around helter-skelter. So they know that we have won this election outright, but they cannot accept that situation because that is an immediate acceptance of defeat. But what they would like is another bite at the cherry through the backdoor.

Arsenault: You speak with such confidence, yet in order to meet you today we had to travel to a safe house. How concerned are you about your safety?

It's always important to take your security very seriously. There are rogue elements in this society and you don't know what they are going to be up to, so you take measures to be secure. But it doesn't mean necessarily that I'm running away from the lawful agents of the state.

Morgan Tsvangirai, in an exclusive CBC interview, says a recount in Zimbabwe's election is 'absurd' because official results haven't been released. (CBC)

Lynch: The presidential results, as you say, still aren't out and yet the ruling party is already insisting on having a recount. What is your reaction to what they are saying today?

Well, it's ridiculous and absurd to talk of a recount before you know what the result is! What we know is [that] within 48 hours, you can ask for a recount at the voting station. Now in this case, the results have already been collected at all voting stations. So what kind of a recount are they talking about? It will not only be illegal, but it will be totally impractical to do so.

Lynch: They are also fighting back, they seem to be going on the offensive against you and your party. They are saying that you cheated, that you rigged …

(Chuckles) Well, it's a ridiculous charge, because who was in charge of this process? Our complaint from the beginning was that we were running according to Mugabe rules. They are in charge of the machinery of the elections. They are in charge of even putting their own police officers, military people in the machinery of the elections. They are in charge of the voting process. They are in charge of the announcement process. The whole management of the election process is dominated and controlled by ZPF. Now to say that the opposition has cheated when they are in full control is, I think, absurd.

Lynch: Let's clear up one more thing: Tendai Biti, in your party's news conference a few days ago, said you were willing to accept the idea of a runoff under protest even though you had won outright. Yesterday that message seemed to change from you. You said you would not accept a runoff. …

[Biti, the MDC's secretary-general] was talking about circumstances that had not occurred. It was a hypothetical position. I am talking about a position, which we have established ourselves, in which we are sure that we won decisively, that there is no need for a runoff. Not only on the basis that we have won, but also on the basis of logic. That putting this country through another process of an election is just trying to subvert the will of the people.

Arsenault: So you will challenge the idea of a runoff?

I don't see this country going to a runoff. I will challenge it all out.

Arsenault: The people of Zimbabwe seem to be very patient, very resilient people, what would you like them to do right now?

Just be patient. Just be patient. Because any provocation of violence, any provocation of confrontation with this regime is exactly what they are looking for. So I'm very proud that they have become resilient … they have acceded to our call for restraint. And I think that's the way to go.

Arsenault: Do you sense in any way that this nation, is getting close to a type of civil war or that is a potential?

No, that is not a potential.

Arsenault: What would you like the international community to do?

Under the circumstances all we are seeking from the international community is international solidarity. … Solidarity is very important to the people of Zimbabwe.

Arsenault: What does that mean? In tangible terms, what do you need from them? What do you need from African nations?

What can they do? They can give us moral support. They can they can plead with Mugabe to see that he has lost this election, he must concede defeat and let the country move forward. That is the minimum we are asking.

Arsenault: And you? What do you say to Mr. Mugabe today?

[M]y view is that he has to concede defeat in order for us to give him that honourable exit. If he goes through another runoff, he will only be humiliated and then he will have lost that opportunity for an honourable exit, because then he would have created those conditions for animosity and polarization in the country.

Arsenault: More than a week after the elections, now what, now what for Zimbabwe?

Don't worry, we will come out of it. We are very positive. We will come out of this trough. We are in transition, we will move this country forward, and I'm sure that is every Zimbabwean's expectation. … That we can deal with the economy we can deal with this repression we can deal with this environment. So [we are] very positive and very excited about the new prospects for the country.

Lynch: It’s a bit odd to hear you talk about how excited you are, how things would move forward positively when just yesterday you were talking about crackdowns and violence?

Well the thing is that, eventually, this stalemate has to be resolved. And I’m sure that as days pass as it dawns on those hawks who think they can subvert the people’s will that the game is up, I’m sure we can start beginning to move forward. I’m very confident of that.

Arsenault: Is it your sense that this is a dangerous time in Zimbabwe?

We are past that. Past that. The reality has dawned on everyone. We are past the most dangerous period. It's what you would call a soft landing of the crisis.

Lynch: And yet you are meeting us at a safe house?

Well it's because, as I said earlier, circumstances have determined that I live in a safe house. But it's not because of circumstances that threaten daily. It's just a precaution.

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