Mbeki to seal power-sharing deal

PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki of South Africa is expected in the country’s capital Harare on Thursday to oversee the historical signing of a power-sharing deal by the three main political parties in the country, the Zimbabwe Guardian has learnt.

After more than two weeks of negotiations and missing yesterday’s deadline as set out in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the parties are said to be working out the finer details of the agreement.

President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party and the two formations of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change met last week with the region’s appointed mediator President Mbeki, last week to iron out a few sticking points which saw Zanu PF negotiators going back to Harare to consult their principals.

South Africa’s Star newspaper, quoting unnamed sources yesterday reported that a power sharing agreement was imminent and claimed that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai could be installed as the country's new prime minister and President Robert Mugabe given a ceremonial presidential position. This position was not verified by any other source – government or independent.

The ruling Zanu PF party has indicated previously that the question of who would lead a government of national unity (or transitional government) was not negotiable.

Last month Zanu PF party’s Politburo met and resolved that the position of President was non-negotiable as the run-off election held on June 27 had produced a clear winner. There’s currently no evidence that this position had been reversed.

“(The) Politburo ... resolved that the June 27 presidential election run-off outcome — which is underpinned by requirements of Zimbabwe’s law that if there is no winner with the required majority in the first round of a presidential election, there shall be a run-off — was also non-negotiable,” state media reported last month.

In any case, there has to be a figure who appoints the all-inclusive government envisaged in the MoU signed by the three parties.

Another South African publication, Business Day newspaper, claimed that talks were at an advanced stage, and suggested that the negotiators had resolved to adopt a structure akin to a hybrid French system where power was evenly distributed among the parties.

In such a scenario positions of president and prime minister will be retained and executive powers shared.

Despite all media speculation, President Mbeki is expected to chair a face-to-face meeting between MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and President Mugabe – the closing phase of power-sharing talks.

The final phase of the negotiations has seen an expansion of all teams to include key strategic individuals in the talks.

After extending the talks beyond the nominal Monday deadline, all teams brought in new players to resolve the sticking points. The Zanu PF team now includes party chairman John Nkomo, Higher Education Minister Stan Mudenge and Defense Minister Sydney Sekeramai - all three members of the Zanu PF politburo.

The MDC formation of Morgan Tsvangirai now includes Harare lawyers Innocent Chagonda and Jameson Timba along with International Affairs Secretary Eliphas Mukonoweshuro.

The Arthur Mutambara-led MDC formation bolstered its team by including national executive members Moses Mzila-Ndlovu and Miriam Mushayi.