The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, an umbrella body for protesters from all walks including churches, trade unions, women's and student associations may be best placed of all to tackle the government.

ECONOMIST: Zimbabwe's downward spiral

Mr Villaraigosa used to be speaker of the state assembly, but he has been back in his home town campaigning for almost a year, competing with Mr Hahn for endorsements from environmentalists, women's groups and, especially, unions (all of whom tend to vote).

ECONOMIST: Politics amid the palms | The

And women were active in Britain's embryo trade unions and radical politics in the 1820s-1840s.

ECONOMIST: It took most of the past ten centuries. Here��s why