Zimbabwe’s Tsvangirai Will Join Coalition Government 2009-01-30 15:47:50.274 GMT
By Brian Latham and Nick Salter
Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change, said he would join President Robert Mugabe in a coalition government to be established next month, ending a 10-month political standoff.
The decision to participate came three days after Tsvangirai signed an agreement at a Southern African Development Community summit in Pretoria, South Africa, to take part in the government. The MDC issued a statement after the meeting saying it wasn’t satisfied with the accord.
“The MDC national executive has agreed that we should join a power-sharing government next month,” Tsvangirai said by phone today from the Zimbabwean capital, Harare. “We’re bound by SADC’s decision and our executive was unequivocal about joining the government.”
The MDC won a majority in parliamentary elections last March and Tsvangirai garnered the most votes in a presidential election, though the state-appointed electoral commission said he didn’t obtain the 50 percent required to secure victory.
Tsvangirai declined to participate in a runoff ballot in June, citing attacks on his supporters, enabling Mugabe to extend his 28-year rule.
On Sept. 15, Tsvangirai, Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a faction of the MDC, agreed to share power.
Implementation of that accord stalled over who would take charge of key ministries, including Home Affairs, which controls the police.
Prime Minister
In terms of this week’s SADC agreement, Tsvangirai will be sworn in as prime minister by Feb. 11 and other ministers will be appointed by Feb. 13.
“It’s an impact arrangement, it is a flawed document but it is the best solution to extricate our country,” from the situation it is in, Mutambara said in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos today. The agreements shows that “Africans are capable of resolving their own matters” and Western nations should recognize and assist the new government.
A committee that will oversee the implementation of the accord was established today in Harare, said Ronnie Mamoepa, a spokesman for South Africa’s Foreign Ministry.
“There was apparently no other choice” for the MDC to join the unity government, because there was so much international pressure on Tsvangirai’s party, Dirk Kotze, a politics professor from the University of South Africa in Pretoria, said in a phone interview.
“It certainly is a breakthrough,” Kotze said. “It’s not necessarily the end of the road. There are still some big issues to be resolved.”
Security Forces
The power sharing accord won’t work unless Mugabe genuinely agrees to share control of the security forces, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said in Davos.
“We hold the view that SADC could do more in trying to help the people of Zimbabwe resolve the crisis,” said Odinga, who joined a unity government in Kenya last year following a disputed election. “We think they have been treating Mugabe with kid gloves. SADC should stand up and tell Mr. Mugabe enough is enough. It is time for him to leave.”
Zimbabwe has been gripped by a decade of recession, while
6.9 million people, more than half the population, need emergency food aid, according to the United Nations. The country’s health, sewage and water systems have collapsed, exacerbating a cholera outbreak that has killed 3,161 people
‘Now is the Time’
“Now is the time for us to put aside our political differences, to prioritize the welfare of the people in both our policies and our actions,” Tsvangirai said in an e-mail. “By joining an inclusive government, we are not saying that this is a solution to the Zimbabwe crisis. Instead our participation signifies that we have chosen to continue the struggle for a democratic Zimbabwe in a new arena.”
Yesterday, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa announced the country would allow the use of at least five foreign currencies, including the euro and the U.S. dollar, to support the economy.
Inflation in Zimbabwe was estimated at 231 million percent in July 2008. No official data has been released since then.
“Something has to be done to ensure stability,”
Mozambican Prime Minister Luisa Diogo said in an interview in Davos. “It is necessary to work together. Once stability is there, we will go for new elections.” |
