ZANU PF, MDC fail to resolve contested power sharing issues

MDC has expressed concern over delays in resolving outstanding issues to the power sharing pact signed last September with President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, President Mugabe and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara -- met three times over the last week to resolve contested issues but failed to reach any agreement.

“The MDC is concerned that the delays by the three main political principals to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) in resolving outstanding issues have created a vacuum that has left Zimbabwe without a fully constituted government,” Tsvangirai’s MDC said.

“The MDC is deeply worried by the continued delay in resolving the pertinent but outstanding issues, which should have been resolved soon after the formation of the inclusive government on February 13, 2009.”

It said critical issues that need to be “urgently resolved” include the appointments of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor, the Attorney General, provincial governors, ambassadors and permanent secretaries.

The party said the re-arresting of senior MDC officials Ghandi Mudzingwa and Chris Dhlamini on terror charges, delays in swearing-in Roy Bennett as the Deputy Agriculture Minister and the withdrawal of telecommunications by President Mugabe from Nelson Chamisa’s Information Communication Technology Ministry are all acts of bad faith by Mugabe’s party.

“Failure to resolve the outstanding issues means that the GPA and the inclusive government have not been fully consummated,” the party said. “We believe as a party that brazen acts of unilateralism, unbridled stubbornness, politically motivated chaos on the farms and the failure to take decisive action on the outstanding issues pose a real threat to the life and health of the inclusive government.”

Arthur Mutambara, in his maiden speech in Parliament on March 25, said if President Mugabe makes unilateral decisions he would be challenged “institutionally, politically and in the courts.”

“There are only three things that the President can constitutionally do without consulting the other two centres of power, that is; declare war, declare martial law, and appoint his two deputies. On any other decisions there has to be discussions with the Premiership and Cabinet. Any behaviour outside this framework is illegal, and will be challenged, institutionally, politically and in the courts,” Mutambara said.

Further meetings are planned for Monday between the three leaders.