President Mugabe of Zimbabwe may Resign

The opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is in talks with advisers to President Robert G. Mugabe of Zimbabwe, amid signs that some of those close to Mr. Mugabe may encourage him to resign, a Western diplomatic source and a prominent Zimbabwe political analyst said Tuesday. The negotiations about a possible transfer of power away from Mr. Mugabe come after he apparently concluded that a runoff election would be demeaning, a diplomat said.

A resignation by Mr. Mugabe, one of Africa’s longest serving leaders, would be a stunning turnabout in a country where Mr. Mugabe has been accused of consistently manipulating election results to maintain his lock on power.

An anonymous source tells the Associated Press that advisers to Robert Mugabe are in talks with opposition leaders about having Zimbabwe's president cede power after more than two decades at the helm of the former British colony.

The information hasn't been confirmed by either side, but the wire service reports that "independent observers say trends indicate [Morgan] Tsvangirai won the most votes in the presidential race, but not enough to avoid a runoff."