IRIN Focus on political deadlock

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa's political woes appeared to deepen on Monday as a disgruntled opposition boycotted bridge-building talks he called to resolve an impasse that crippled the National Assembly last week. Opposition parties, which won a majority in parliament in a controversial general election in December, refused to attend the talks, which were also aimed at reaching agreement on common strategies to counter a growing economic crisis. Key issues on the agenda for resolution were the political impasse resulting from the conduct of the election, which the opposition alleges was rigged, a crisis in the mining industry, and a severe grain shortage that has reportedly affected tens of thousands of people. "I have invited political leaders to come to State House tomorrow so that we can discuss our differences and, above all, discuss the problems afflicting this nation. My view is that when elections end, fighting should not continue, but that everybody has to contribute to the country's development," Mwanawasa said during an inter-denominational church service on Sunday. However, the seven parties - the United Party for National Development (UPND), Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD), United National Independence Party (UNIP), Heritage Party, National Citizens Coalition, Zambia Republican Party and Patriotic Front - said in a joint statement that they would not talk with the government until consensus on the ground rules was reached. "Due to the nature and uniqueness of the results of the just-ended elections, it is prudent that such a meeting be called in the interests of the nation. We, however, feel that some procedural issues have been overlooked and need to be addressed before the meeting takes place," said Never Mumba, spokesman for the opposition's newly united front. Among other things, opposition leaders want to have prior notice of the agenda "so as to adequately prepare ourselves for the meeting", a neutral venue outside State House, and an apology from Information Minister Vernon Mwaanga over recent statements he made decrying the opposition's "confrontational" stance. "I, therefore, confirm that this afternoon's meeting will not take place until we receive a response from State House on the issues raised. I have communicated this position to the president and we have mutually agreed that the meeting be postponed," Mumba said. The UPND, which is convinced it won both the presidential and parliamentary elections but was cheated by the ruling party, was more confrontational in its stance. "We are not part of it [the planned meeting]. As far as we are concerned, there has been no integrity on their part. They should have engaged us from the beginning instead of insulting us and creating a crisis," UPND vice-president Sakwiba Sikota told IRIN. Relations between the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) and the opposition, which have never been cordial, worsened after the elections amid allegations that the ruling party had rigged the polls. Three opposition leaders - UPND's Anderson Mazoka, the FDD's Christon Tembo, and the Heritage Party's Godfrey Miyanda, have separately filed electoral petitions against the results of the presidential poll. Opposition parties also plan to weaken the government's position by bloc voting to frustrate its programmes in the National Assembly. Last week, they forced the House to indefinitely defer its business when they refused to allow House officials to conduct an election for a new Speaker. The legislators boycotted the vote because the House officials wanted it to be conducted by a secret ballot - a strategy they feared would enable the ruling party to manipulate the poll. The voting will now only be held after the High Court interprets the rules governing the election. Political analysts fear that the opposition's tactics could delay adoption of the national budget and cripple government operations in parliament. The government's woes have been compounded by the withdrawal of the London-listed mining giant Anglo American from its investment in Zambia's copper industry. Its subsidiary, Zambia Copper Investments (ZCI), asked for trading in its shares to be suspended on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) late on Wednesday fuelling speculation of Anglo's move. ZCI's major investment in Zambia is a 65 percent stake in Konkola Copper Mines, one of the most important of the country's mining assets. Zambia depends on copper and cobalt exports for around 80 percent of its foreign receipts. If no buyer or alternatives to closure are found, at least 11,000 jobs will be at risk and the government's privatisation programme will have received a major blow.