Government, opposition at odds on new cabinet

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said at the weekend it had instructed its newly elected members of parliament not to join any government of national unity proposed by President Robert Mugabe.

Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the MDC, made the pronouncement in reaction to a televised statement by Mugabe last week in which he said he needed time to assess the credibility of newly elected members of Parliament from the MDC before appointing them into his cabinet.

“They are a mixed group with various interests and attitudes. One does not know what policies they will pursue and I need time to find out who they are and what they stand for,” Mugabe said.

In remarks to reporters at the weekend, Tsvangirai responded: “He assumes that MDC is eager to go into the cabinet, but that is not the case. We are an opposition party and will remain an opposition party to keep the government in check. He has got the cheek to think we rely on his benevolence.”

But newspapers cited the results of a recent public opinion survey showing that Zimbabweans felt Mugabe ought to form a government reflective of party representation in parliament. In the elections, ZANU-PF garnered 62 of the 120 seats contest against 57 won by the MDC and one by an independent candidate. ZANU-PF will, however, have a larger majority because a remaining 30 seats are filled through presidential nomination.

Under the current constitution, the ruling party is able to form a government on its own but it will not be able to make any constitutional amendments without the MDC because a two-thirds majority vote is required. ZANU-PF is eight seats short of the 100 seats required for that majority.