Addressing about 5 000 supporters at a rally in Harare’s Highfield low-income suburb, Tsvangirai confirmed President Robert Mugabe had refused to postpone elections to allow implementation of a new constitution agreed between the MDC and Zanu (PF) during talks brokered by South Africa.
Mbeki last week met Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara (who heads the smaller faction of the divided MDC) in Harare in a failed bid to push them to reach agreement on the new constitution and the date for elections.
“We have been negotiating for 10 months – almost a year. We have now reached a deadlock . . . we want to cast a vote that counts,” said Tsvangirai, in his first public reaction since Mbeki’s visit.
Zimbabwe holds elections for local government representatives, members of Parliament and president next March. The two opposition factions want the polls postponed to allow for the implementation of a new constitution and to give time for other reforms agreed with Zanu (PF) to take root.
Tsvangirai said if Mugabe and his party did not want a new constitution before elections, then they could as well hold the polls on their own, in the clearest indication yet that the MDC or at least the faction led by Tsvangirai, might boycott the March polls.
“We tell Mugabe, if he wants he will have that election alone,” said Tsvangirai.
“We want a fresh voters’ roll, we want delimitation of constituencies that is fair. We want a ZEC (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) that is independent,” he added, listing other points of disagreement with Mugabe.
Justice Minister and Zanu (PF) head of delegation in the inter-party talks, Patrick Chinamasa, protested against Tsvangirai for disclosing the goings-on at the talks at a public rally and accused the MDC leader and his party of negotiating in bad faith.
hinamasa dismissed threats by the opposition leader to boycott polls as inspired by the fear of “obvious defeat” and vowed elections would go ahead regardless of whether or not the MDC will participate.
“Let them boycott the election and see if anything changes. They might be sensing obvious defeat,” said a defiant Chinamasa. – ZimOnline
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