Friday, August 22, 2008
Opposition parties say Mugabe violated deal
author/source:Business Day (SA)
published:Fri 22-Aug-2008
Harare Correspondent
Johannesburg – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is in a tight spot on how to form a functioning new government after a smaller faction of the opposition he banked on for a coalition said it would not work with him. Mugabe now faces the prospect of going it alone, something that would compound his legitimacy crisis and plunge the economy even deeper into the doldrums. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction led by Arthur Mutambara assured its restless MPs at a national council meeting on Wednesday that it would not join Mugabe's government. The party was facing a revolt from MPs after reports that it leadership was considering working with Mugabe. The party deliberated extensively on claims that Mutambara had signed a "sell-out deal" to join Mugabe without main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
Mugabe will next week convene parliament amid protests by the MDC this will sabotage the already stalled power-sharing talks. Tsvangirai yesterday told journalists in Nairobi, which he is visiting as part of his regional tour to press Mugabe to agree to share power, "If President Mugabe goes ahead to convene parliament, appoint a new cabinet, it means he is proceeding to violate the conditions of the memorandum of understanding which means he may have abandoned the basis for talks, but we don't know what his intentions are," he said. Zanu PF and the MDC factions signed a memorandum of understanding on July 21 to provide a framework for the talks. "A violation of the memorandum will have to be dealt with by the mediator," he said. President Thabo Mbeki is the mediator. Sources said although Tsvangirai's MPs would attend the swearing-in ceremony in Harare on Monday, they would boycott Mugabe's opening of parliament address on Tuesday.
The plan to convene parliament also came under attack yesterday when fringe opposition party the Zimbabwe People's Party, led by Justin Chiota, filed an urgent court application seeking a nullification of Mugabe's re-election and blocking the assembling and opening parliament on Tuesday. Chiota's demand is contained in an urgent supreme court application . He recently secured a ruling which invalidated his exclusion from the presidential election in March. The nomination court in February rejected Chiota and United People's Party leader Daniel Shumba's applications to enter the race as these had been filed late. However, a recent supreme court judgment said the nomination court's decision was unlawful and invalid. On that basis, Chiota challenged Mugabe's re-election and demanded that if his application was successful, fresh presidential polls be held within 90 days.
Chiota said the swearing in of MPs and senators on Monday as well as the convening of parliament and constituting a new government should be stopped. In the same application Chiota, a former security establishment officer, also demanded the talks should be aborted as they were being conducted on the basis of the outcome of an unlawful presidential election. "I also submit that the settlement talks based on the results of the election impugned herein are equally an infringement upon my rights as already declared by this court, and the constitution of the government of the Republic of Zimbabwe based on such talks will be in itself an infringement on my rights aforesaid," he said. A fortnight ago Chiota lost his legal bid to join the talks after the Pretoria High Court dismissed his urgent application saying it did not have the power to rule on a matter outside its territorial jurisdiction. Shumba recently approached the Southern African Development Community Tribunal in Namibia seeking to have his party included in the talks.
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published:Fri 22-Aug-2008
Harare Correspondent
Johannesburg – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is in a tight spot on how to form a functioning new government after a smaller faction of the opposition he banked on for a coalition said it would not work with him. Mugabe now faces the prospect of going it alone, something that would compound his legitimacy crisis and plunge the economy even deeper into the doldrums. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction led by Arthur Mutambara assured its restless MPs at a national council meeting on Wednesday that it would not join Mugabe's government. The party was facing a revolt from MPs after reports that it leadership was considering working with Mugabe. The party deliberated extensively on claims that Mutambara had signed a "sell-out deal" to join Mugabe without main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
Mugabe will next week convene parliament amid protests by the MDC this will sabotage the already stalled power-sharing talks. Tsvangirai yesterday told journalists in Nairobi, which he is visiting as part of his regional tour to press Mugabe to agree to share power, "If President Mugabe goes ahead to convene parliament, appoint a new cabinet, it means he is proceeding to violate the conditions of the memorandum of understanding which means he may have abandoned the basis for talks, but we don't know what his intentions are," he said. Zanu PF and the MDC factions signed a memorandum of understanding on July 21 to provide a framework for the talks. "A violation of the memorandum will have to be dealt with by the mediator," he said. President Thabo Mbeki is the mediator. Sources said although Tsvangirai's MPs would attend the swearing-in ceremony in Harare on Monday, they would boycott Mugabe's opening of parliament address on Tuesday.
The plan to convene parliament also came under attack yesterday when fringe opposition party the Zimbabwe People's Party, led by Justin Chiota, filed an urgent court application seeking a nullification of Mugabe's re-election and blocking the assembling and opening parliament on Tuesday. Chiota's demand is contained in an urgent supreme court application . He recently secured a ruling which invalidated his exclusion from the presidential election in March. The nomination court in February rejected Chiota and United People's Party leader Daniel Shumba's applications to enter the race as these had been filed late. However, a recent supreme court judgment said the nomination court's decision was unlawful and invalid. On that basis, Chiota challenged Mugabe's re-election and demanded that if his application was successful, fresh presidential polls be held within 90 days.
Chiota said the swearing in of MPs and senators on Monday as well as the convening of parliament and constituting a new government should be stopped. In the same application Chiota, a former security establishment officer, also demanded the talks should be aborted as they were being conducted on the basis of the outcome of an unlawful presidential election. "I also submit that the settlement talks based on the results of the election impugned herein are equally an infringement upon my rights as already declared by this court, and the constitution of the government of the Republic of Zimbabwe based on such talks will be in itself an infringement on my rights aforesaid," he said. A fortnight ago Chiota lost his legal bid to join the talks after the Pretoria High Court dismissed his urgent application saying it did not have the power to rule on a matter outside its territorial jurisdiction. Shumba recently approached the Southern African Development Community Tribunal in Namibia seeking to have his party included in the talks.
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