Fresh elections under a new and democratic constitution are the surest way to end political stalemate in Zimbabwe, a top official of Prime Minister Morgan Tsavangirais MDC-T party has said.
MDC-T deputy organising secretary Morgan Komichi said he was surprised by suggestions by some politicians that the unity governments mandate should be extended to 2013 or 2014 because the country was not ready for new polls. You will get such talk from people who are unelectable; individuals who fear for their political lives. As the MDC we are already preparing for elections despite what you hear from certain quarters, Komichi said. Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, leader of the smaller faction of the MDC, dismissed suggestions that fresh elections will be held next year.
Mutambara urged the coalition partners to expend more energy trying to revive the economy rather than waste time on new elections that are impossible to hold under present conditions. How do you revive the economy when the three parties are always at loggerheads? This government has been in place for over a year now and only a quarter of issues in the global political agreement (GPA) have been implemented, Komichi said. Komichi said only a single party in government with a mandate from the people could push through policies, projects and revive the economy with speed and without any hindrance.
He said: The atmosphere in the government remains toxic. We have partners who are not interested in solving the countrys problems and are happy to drag the situation out. It has been a sad year for many people in the country after so much was promised by the deal signed in September 2008 and implemented in February 2009. So little has been achieved ever since and we are saying as party lets go back to an election to sort out this mess. The GPA that gave birth to the unity government is silent on dates for the next elections, only saying they would follow the writing of a new constitution, a process that has been dogged by problems from the beginning.
Experts see the constitutional reform process being concluded around 2012 as Zanu (PF) and the MDC haggle over what form the new charter should take. This would see the new polls taking place most likely in 2013. Zimbabwes elections have been controversial since 2000, largely marked by violence which the MDC and Western governments have repeatedly blamed on Zanu (PF) aligned war veterans and youth militia. In 2008, the MDC said more than 200 of its members were murdered by Mugabe loyalists, including those in the military, in a spree that shocked even regional neighbours who had long openly sided with the veteran leader.
Post published in: Politics