Zimbabwe’s president-in-waiting Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC and splinter group led by Arthur Mutambara re-united this week.
Speaking at a news conference in Johannesburg this week, with Mutambara at his side, Tsvangirai said:
“Mr. Robert Mugabe must accept that in a parliamentary democracy, the majority rules.”
The unity pact ends two years of sometimes acrimonious negotiation between the two MDCs.
In the recent elections Tsvangirai’s party secured 99 of the 210 parliamentary seats, while Mutambara’s faction took 10, giving the united MDC a parliamentary majority – 109 seats. This means Zanu (PF) would now be the opposition in Parliament for the first time in the history of Zimbabwe.
Mutambara said the decision to create one MDC caucus in the House of Assembly would protect the will of the people.
Tsvangirai said the pact made it impossible for Mugabe to remain in power.
The MDC leader also revealed that there could be floor-crossing, as his party was in talks with some Zanu (PF) parliamentarians.
Tsvangirai, who spoke as the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said it would announce presidential election results on Thursday, insisted he had won the presidential election by 50,3 percent.
However, results leaked to The Zimbabwean from police general headquarters last week suggest that he won 51% of the total poll, ruling out the need for a run-off.
“The recount in 23 constituencies is now complete and our staff is posting (presidential election) results into the system,” ZEC chairman George Chiweshe said on Monday. “Thereafter the chief elections officer shall, as soon as possible, call the four candidates and/or their agents to a meeting and agree on figures. In three days we will be announcing the results.”
ZEC said the re-count had resulted in no change in the tallies from the initial count.
Tsvangirai said: “The majority of Zimbabweans have said Mugabe must find a way to retire, and I hope those friendly to him will communicate this message: ‘Old Man, go and have an honourable exit.'”
He rejected Zanu (PF) assertions that he hds failed to garner the requisite 50 plus one percent majority to take over the reins of power.
“The people have spoken; the people have triumphed,” Tsvangirai said dismissively.
Monday’s unity pact came as Tsvangirai stepped up diplomatic pressure to break the post-election deadlock.
On Tuesday he met the chairman of the African Union, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete in Dar es Salaam as MDC secretary general Tendai Biti briefed the United Nations Security Council in New York about the electoral crisis in Zimbabwe.
Louise Arbour, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, this week expressed the world body’s disquiet on the escalating post-election violence which the UN contends could subvert any resolution to the stalled vote count.
The MDC said this week the death toll from the violence has risen to 16, with hundreds having been brutalized and thousands internally displaced.
Tsvangirai described the attacks as the “rollout military plan” and said his diplomatic offensive was aimed at pressuring the Mugabe regime to stop the violence and respect the will of the people.
Tsvangirai spoke as police defied a High Court ruling ordering the release of more than 200 MDC activists rounded up at the party’s headquarters last Friday. Among those rounded up were victims of political violence who had fled Zanu (PF) violence and sought shelter at the MDC head office in central Harare. The 200 were still locked up at the time of going to print, despite the unambiguous court order, that also ordered that activists receive medical attention.
“The police have promised to comply but it still hasn’t happened,” said MDC lawyer Alec Muchadehama.
Post published in: News