South African President Thabo Mbeki expressed his belief that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe will resign peacefully and emphasized the importance of ensuring free and fair elections in Zimbabwe next year. Mbeki, appointed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to lead mediation efforts, stated in an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday that he is optimistic about Mugabe stepping down despite accusations of electoral misconduct and economic mismanagement. President Mugabe and the leadership of ZANU-PF believe they are governing a democratic country, as evidenced by the presence of an elected opposition and their ability to run municipal governments in Harare and Bulawayo. The SADC appointed Mbeki as mediator between Mugabe and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) after a violent crackdown on political opponents. Mbeki believes that African leaders working together could help pave the way for a settlement in Zimbabwe, despite not having a "big stick" to force change. Mbeki stated that his office has been in communication with both of the MDC's main factions and ZANU-PF to establish a framework for negotiations ahead of next year's elections, where Mugabe has already been confirmed as the ZANU-PF candidate. Mbeki mentioned that the upcoming discussions will likely address the MDC's requests for legal and electoral changes, including media and security laws that critics believe Mugabe has used to maintain his power in the country. Mbeki noted that based on previous interactions with the MDC, he expects them to bring up issues such as media legislation and laws regarding public gatherings. He added that there will be discussions with ZANU-PF to address these concerns and potentially reach an agreement on creating a fair electoral environment. The primary leader of the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai, stated in Johannesburg that he would be open to participating in an election that is guaranteed to be free and fair, but emphasized that quick action from Mbeki is necessary to establish the proper conditions. The SADC, criticized by the West for ignoring Mugabe's crackdown, is hopeful that appointing Mbeki will facilitate direct negotiations between Mugabe and the MDC, despite previous unsuccessful attempts to broker a political agreement. The West accuses Mugabe, who has been in power since Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain in 1980, of ruling authoritatively and mismanaging the economy. Mugabe defends himself by claiming he is being punished for redistributing white-owned farms to landless blacks.