Tsvangirai Accuses Mugabe of Being a Stumbling Block to Zimbabwe Unity Deal

Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has accused President Robert Mugabe of being the stumbling block to the current negotiations to resolve the country’s political impasse, and he warned the Zimbabwean leader against unilaterally forming a government that excludes his party.

Speaking on Wednesday for the first time about causes of the deadlock in the unity talks with Mugabe, Tsvangirai blamed the veteran leader for refusing to compromise on the contentious issue power distribution.

“We are not claiming complete executive power. We are talking about sharing executive power,” Tsvangirai said in an interview published by the online news agency ZimOnline on Wednesday.

He charged that his MDC had even offered to swap positions so that Mugabe becomes executive prime minister while Tsvangirai takes over the position of ceremonial president, but that proposal was turned down.

“From what we see and when you analyse the powers of the president and the prime minister, and you see that there is no shared responsibility and authority, you then have to say it’s ZANU PF who is the stumbling block,” he said.

The talks to resolve Zimbabwe’s crisis stalled at the weekend amid reports of failure by the rival parties to agree on Mugabe’s and Tsvangirai’s powers in a proposed unity government.

Southern African leaders ordered that Zimbabwe’s parliament should reconvene to allow legislators to be sworn-in.

Newly-elected lawmakers are expected to be sworn-in on Monday or Tuesday next week but Tsvangirai said convening parliament did not necessarily mean that Mugabe could appoint a new cabinet before the inter-party talks are over.

“If parliament is being reconvened to deal with this dispute, then let it deal with the dispute. But that does not mean Mugabe unilaterally goes to form a government and have cabinet ministers. If that is the intention, then it will be a breach of the MOU,” Tsvangirai said.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on July 21 barred Mugabe from appointing cabinet until the unity government talks are over.

Source African Press Agency

Net News Publisher