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Associated Press
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe
What Does Mugabe’s Power-Sharing Deal Mean for Zimbabwe?
August 13, 2008 01:44 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Zimbabwe’s President, Robert Mugabe, has reportedly struck a deal with a breakaway faction of the MDC, which leaves rival Morgan Tsvangirai out of the picture.
30-Second Summary
Reuters reports that Mugabe agreed Tuesday to a power-sharing deal with Arthur Mutambara, the leader of a faction of Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change party, but “has yet to agree with main rival Morgan Tsvangirai.”
However, South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has been mediating peace talks, said negotiations are still in progress. “We have dealt with all the critical elements on which President Mugabe and Mutambara agree, but there’s disagreement with one element over which Morgan Tsvangirai has asked for more time to reflect,” Mbeki said.
Peace talks begain in July, following months of political violence that stemmed from the country’s disputed presidential elections in March.
The terms of the deal with Mutambara were not immediately clear, according the Guardian, but it is likely to form a national unity administration that could give Mugabe control of the new parliament.
The newspaper reports that the MDC faction holds only 10 seats in parliament, but that those seats represent the balance of power and could keep Zanu-PF, Mugabe’s party, in control. However, “it is not certain that all of the Mutambara faction would support a deal with Mugabe.”
Furthermore, a plan that excludes Tsvangirai may not bode well for the troubled country, which is facing “economic ruin,” reports Reuters. Western countries that criticized Mugabe and his party, which has been accused of killing MDC members, are unlikely to approve of the deal.
“Morgan Tsvangirai is the main opposition leader, and any agreement that doesn’t include his party will not work for the country. It actually just complicates issues,” said John Makumbe, a Mugabe critic and veteran commentator to Reuters.
However, South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has been mediating peace talks, said negotiations are still in progress. “We have dealt with all the critical elements on which President Mugabe and Mutambara agree, but there’s disagreement with one element over which Morgan Tsvangirai has asked for more time to reflect,” Mbeki said.
Peace talks begain in July, following months of political violence that stemmed from the country’s disputed presidential elections in March.
The terms of the deal with Mutambara were not immediately clear, according the Guardian, but it is likely to form a national unity administration that could give Mugabe control of the new parliament.
The newspaper reports that the MDC faction holds only 10 seats in parliament, but that those seats represent the balance of power and could keep Zanu-PF, Mugabe’s party, in control. However, “it is not certain that all of the Mutambara faction would support a deal with Mugabe.”
Furthermore, a plan that excludes Tsvangirai may not bode well for the troubled country, which is facing “economic ruin,” reports Reuters. Western countries that criticized Mugabe and his party, which has been accused of killing MDC members, are unlikely to approve of the deal.
“Morgan Tsvangirai is the main opposition leader, and any agreement that doesn’t include his party will not work for the country. It actually just complicates issues,” said John Makumbe, a Mugabe critic and veteran commentator to Reuters.
Headline Links: Mugabe strikes deal, but not with Tsvangirai
Initial reports on the agreement between Mugabe and Mutambara are unclear, reports Reuters. Mbeki said he is not sure whether or not the deal has actually been signed. But the Zanu-PF party officially told Reuters, “We, and the MDC headed by Mutambara have signed the agreement. Tsvangirai did not sign the agreement because he is basically trying to take us back, to renegotiate issues that we had already agreed on.”
Source: Reuters
According to the Guardian, Mbeki said the talks had not failed and were merely adjourned to give Tsvangirai time to consider the issues, but “sources close to the MDC leader said the three days of negotiations in Harare ran into the ground after Mugabe agreed to appoint Tsvangirai as prime minister but insisted on retaining ultimate authority over government. Among the Zimbabwean leader’s demands was that he be the most senior member of the cabinet.”
Source: The Guardian
Background: Turmoil following original election; peace talks
Following the original election in March, unrest continued in Zimbabwe as Mugabe’s election recount further delayed the announcement of the election results. Amid reports of violence, opposition leader Tsvangirai fled the country.
Source: findingDulcinea
In the week before the run-off election, support for Mugabe among African leaders was waning as his former ally, African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma, issued statements sharply critical of the govenment party, Zanu-PF.
Source: findingDulcinea
The two parties began the negotiation process in July, when they agreed to hold preliminary talks. “This is where we are going to talk about issues of violence and it is from these discussions that the MDC will decide whether to engage in full negotiations if our conditions for an end to political violence are met. We will also have to agree on the agenda for the talks,” according to an MDC source.
Source: Reuters
The BBC reported that peace talks that took place August 7 brought together Mugabe and Tsvangirai, as well as Arthur Mutambara, the leader of a smaller MDC faction. Mugabe said while leaving talks late Sunday night, “We’re not through yet, but we’ve taken a break.” Reports suggest the talks were brought to a close by disagreements over the make-up of the new cabinet.
Source: The BBC
Key Player: Arthur Mutambara
Mutambara became leader of the MDC faction in 2006. The party had split the prior year over participation in national senate elections; Mutambara heads the faction that favored participation. At the time, he “criticised Tsvangirai for seeking to impose his views on other party leaders during the senate debate, and vowed he would always accept the decision of the majority,” the BBC reported in February 2006.
Source: The BBC
Opinion & Analysis: Can a deal without Tsvangirai work?
Ray Hartley writes on in a blog post for the South African newspaper The Times that there is no point in a deal that excludes Tsvangirai. “Any deal less than that will not be acceptable to such a large portion of the population that it will be recipe for continued conflict,” he writes. “The fact that Mugabe believes he may have a deal with a breakaway faction of the MDC is neither here nor there.”
Source: The Times (South Africa)
Many analysts doubt that Mugabe’s deal with Mutambara’s MDC faction will be accepted in Zimbabwe, or around the world. “The deal is not sustainable and it is not going to solve the crisis the country is experiencing,” said Eldred Masunungure, a political scientist at the University of Zimbabwe.
Source: IC Publications (AFP)
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
