Talks in trouble

HARARE – The settlement talks between MDC and Zanu (PF) are in serious trouble. The SADC-appointed broker, SA president Thabo Mbeki, jetted into Harare last week in a desperate effort to rescue the dialogue, following several meetings with the two MDC factions in Pretoria.
But President Robert Mugabe’s continued intransigence, especially on the need to end political violence and reform the electoral systems, has become a major stumbling block.
“Zanu (PF) knows it will never win a free and fair election in 2008, therefore Mugabe is digging his heels in over electoral reform, while still trying to fool Mbeki that he is serious,” said a highly respected political observer this week.
“Mugabe’s pathetic attempt to whitewash the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission by replacing some members with yet more hand-picked Zanu (PF) apologists is just one example of how he is completely ignoring the letter and the spirit of the negotiations with MDC.  He is determined the win the next election, no matter what. It is high time Mbeki and other SADC leaders realise just what they are dealing with,” he said.
If SADC was serious about wanting to solve Zimbabwe’s problems – which are having an increasingly negative impact on the whole region – they need to ensure that meaningful electoral reform takes place before the 2008 elections, he added.
“The will of the people must prevail. And in order for that to happen, the electoral playing field has to be levelled. As things stand now the elections would be a total sham, and it would foolhardy of the opposition to contest them.”
MDC insiders raised concerns this week that Mugabe has already begun to implement an ultra-populist re-election strategy in which all white farmers would be expelled, mines seized and foreign-owned companies taken over, paving the way for the dictator to declare himself president for life. The ruling party is reportedly keen to delay elections until June, to give itself more time to ingratiate itself with disgruntled voters – suffering from the effects of unprecedented economic meltdown.
“A pull-out by the MDC is inevitable, unless pressure by Mbeki succeeds in making Mugabe reverse the ZEC appointments and take away the handling of the registration process and preparing of voters’ roll from Mudede,” an informed source said this week.
“The opposition cannot compromise and sign the deal because that will be giving a seal of approval to an election likely to be rigged by Zanu (PF) yet again.”
The ZEC, headed by former soldier and High Court judge George Chiweshe, has turned down repeated requests by the opposition to have the voter registration process done in a more transparent manner.  It has also started the delimitation of boundaries despite requests by the opposition to have that delayed until the talks are concluded.
A South African diplomat based in Harare told this paper that, “president Mbeki’s visit was hastily arranged after the MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai had written threatening to pull out of the negotiations.  Mbeki came to implore Mugabe to change his hard-line stance, which he promised to do, but made no guarantee”.