No more negotiations, says Tsvangirai
2012-09-10 14:02
Special Report
Zimbabwe's prime minister says he is ready to win the presidency in upcoming elections and return the nation to the world community after years of isolation.
Cape Town - Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has launched a "Vote Yes" campaign for the country's draft constitution in a referendum, declaring he won't be drawn into further negotiations on the charter as demanded by President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.
According to a Dailynews report, Tsvangirai said he was ready to tell Mugabe that the negotiation phase was over.
"On Monday, when I meet with President Mugabe, I will say uku takatopfuura nako handeyi mberi [I will tell Mugabe that we are past the negotiating phase. Let's go forward].
What is left is for the Speaker of Parliament to announce the dates for a Second All-Stakeholders Conference," said Tsvangirai, who was addressing his MDC structures at the Harare Showgrounds.
But according to other reports, Zanu-PF dismissed as "scandalous" and "futile" Tsvangirai’s launch of a "vote yes" campaign, insisting the document cannot be put to a referendum without the endorsement of all the three GPA parties.
Zanu-PF has rejected the draft constitution and has brought new proposals which it says should be dealt with by the three Global Political Agreement (GPA) principals, namely; Tsvangirai, Mugabe and MDC faction leader, Welshman Ncube.
Newzimbabwe.com quoted Zanu-PF officials as saying the MDC campaign was “futile as long as there was no agreement between the GPA parties”.
Legal mandate
Said Zanu-PF politburo member, Jonathan Moyo: "In the first place, this just shows that these guys have taken time-wasting to new heights because you cannot call on Zimbabweans to say ‘yes’ to nothing.
"The only draft that can be taken to a referendum should be agreed upon by the three parties to the GPA. Anything else is nothing and for Tsvangirai to say 'yes' to nothing is scandalous."
Zanu-PF spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, said: "The MDC-T has an agenda to disrupt the constitution-making process.
"They are fully aware that they cannot go it alone and hold a referendum. Only the president has the legal mandate to call for a referendum. Theirs is a futile exercise and it will plunge them into the deep."
A new constitution is widely regarded as key to the Zimbabwe's future political stability.
- News24
