MDC: Mugabe will fail alone

2008-08-28 08:35

Harare - Zimbabwe's opposition on Wednesday accused President Robert Mugabe of abandoning talks aimed at forming a unity government, and said he would fail if he tried to rule alone.

State media said Mugabe had announced he would soon form a new Cabinet after concluding the opposition Movement for Democratic Change did not want to take part.

Coalition negotiations have been deadlocked over how much control Mugabe should surrender.

Opposition spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said on Wednesday the Movement for Democratic Change remained committed to power-sharing talks, but accused Mugabe of "giving a death certificate ... to the talks and negotiations".

"The bottom line is he has to come to the negotiating table and negotiate with the MDC as representatives of the people of the country to find a way forward," Chamisa said.

Among recent steps Mugabe has taken that the opposition says undermine negotiations was the appointment of his loyalists as senators and governors.

Five opposition lawmakers arrested

The opposition also says Mugabe should not have unilaterally convened parliament on Tuesday, and accuses him of ordering the arrests of its members to try to regain a parliamentary majority.

Police have arrested five opposition lawmakers allegedly linked to political violence.

While the Movement for Democratic Change says Mugabe had no authority to open parliament, the MDC holds the most seats in the house and its members participated in the opening session - subjecting Mugabe to unprecedented heckling on national television.

Mugabe, addressing guests at a luncheon after opening parliament, said he planned to announce a new Cabinet. The opposition would be welcome to join if it wished, but it "does not want to come in apparently", the Herald, a government newspaper, quoted Mugabe as saying.

"They have been promised by the British that sanctions would be more devastating and that in six months time the government will collapse. I do not know when that day will come. I wish (main opposition leader Morgan) Tsvangirai well on that day," Mugabe said.

'Mugabe determined to crash the vehicle'

Chamisa, the Movement for Democratic Change spokesperson, said his party had hoped Mugabe "would be fair enough and reasonable enough" to stick with power-sharing negotiations.

"But unfortunately he is a driver who is so determined to crash the vehicle. He's trying to take us into a ditch."

Chamisa said that if Mugabe unilaterally appointed a Cabinet, opposition lawmakers would simply ignore any attempts it made to introduce legislation.

Parliament, which was to reconvene to begin work in October, in the past simply rubber-stamped sweeping legislation drawn up by Mugabe's party.

Parliament's first order of business will be to approve funds for government ministries and projects.

If there is deadlock, Mugabe could dissolve the assembly and rule by decree. It is unlikely the opposition could summon the two-thirds vote needed to impeach him.

Tsvangirai's party holds 100 seats in the 210 seat parliament, Mugabe's party has 99, and an opposition splinter group has 10.

An independent who broke away from Mugabe's party won the remaining seat in parliamentary polls on March 29.

- AP