Parliament set to reconvene in Zimbabwe

Monday 25 August 2008

Zimbabwe's parliament is sworn in on Monday as power-sharing talks between President Robert Mugabe and the Zimbabwean opposition remain deadlocked. The session will be the first since elections that led to a political crisis.

Special report on elections in Zimbabwe

Two factions of Zimbabwe's MDC party have nominated their candidates to contest the leadership of the parliament to be sworn in Monday by President Robert Mugabe, their officials said Sunday.
  
While the main Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party of leader Morgan Tsvangirai has nominated its national chairman, Lovemore Moyo, as speaker, a smaller MDC faction led by Arthur Mutambara is putting forward senior party member Paul Themba Nyathi for the same position, MDC officials said.
  
"Except for some few MPs who are in hiding, all our elected 100 members of parliament should be there on Monday," party spokesman Nelson Chamisa told AFP, referring to the lower house.
  
Although the country's ruling ZANU-PF could not be reached immediately, it is believed that the party would put forward its chairman, John Nkomo, for the speaker position.
  
The Zimbabwe parliament meets Monday for the first time since elections that unleashed a political crisis and increased Mugabe's international isolation.
  
Tsvangirai's MDC said it opposes the formal convening of the parliament session but will attend the swearing-in on Monday.
  
It expressed the fear that convening the parliament on Tuesday could jeopardise South African-mediated power-sharing talks, suspended about two weeks ago.
  
President Robert Mugabe ZANU-PF suffered a historic setback when it won only 99 seats in March legislative elections, while the MDC got 100 and Mutambara's faction got 10, with one independent also elected.
  
Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in the first round of the presidential voting but did not get the necessary majority to be declared winner. He boycotted the runoff because of alleged violence against his supporters, handing the win to Mugabe.
  
In Senate, ZANU-PF controls 30 seats, while the MDC has 24 and the Mutambara faction six. The chamber has no significant power.
  
Thirty-three Mugabe appointees -- traditional chiefs, provincial governors, women, disabled groups and other interested parties -- take the senate numbers up to 93 members.
  
Meanwhile, policemen have since Saturday cordoned off roads adjacent to parliament to allow for rehearsals for the Monday and Tuesday events.
  
On Sunday, Zimbabwe Air Force jets were seen displaying in preparation for the events.