HARARE Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC party has criticised appointment of controversial former elections chief George Chiweshe to head the countrys High Court, saying it was unilateral and clear reward for rigging the 2008 presidential election that kept President Robert Mugabe in power. “The MDC condemns the unilateral and arrogant appointment of George Chiweshe by Zanu (PF) as the judge president of the High Court,” MDC secretary for legal affairs Innocent Gonese said in a statement last Friday.
Under a political agreement that paved way for establishment of the unity government between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, all senior public appointments must be by consent, a requirement that Mugabe has, however, not strictly adhered to.
Gonese said Chiweshe actively colluded in electoral malpractices and proceeded to declare the election as free and fair.
“Zimbabwe today languishes under an ill-fitting and ill-working inclusive government which came about because of a failed election that Chiweshe presided over and therefore grossly undermined democracy, said Gonese.
With Tsvangirai looking set for victory after his MDC party defeated Mugabes Zanu (PF) in a parallel parliamentary election, Chiweshe held back the result of the presidential ballot for more than a month.
When Chiweshe, who is a former army officer and has also previously been a judge of the High Court, eventually released the poll result it showed Tsvangirai ahead of Mugabe but with fewer votes than required to avoid a second round poll.
Mugabes supporters then unleashed a ruthless campaign of violence to force Tsvangirai to withdraw from the second round presidential poll that analysts had strongly tipped the former trade unionist to win.
The two rivals were later forced by the regional SADC alliance and the African Union to agree to form a government of national unity that includes Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, who heads the smaller formation of the MDC.
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