Zimbabwean legal experts and politicians are expressing concern at what what they describe as the failure by the government of President Robert Mugabe to officially seat members of the house of assembly and senate who were elected to office in balloting March 29.
According to some experts the constitution says parliamentarians should have been sworn in no later than Tuesday - though Chairman Lovemore Madhuku of the National Constitutional Assembly advanced the opinion that the constitution is unclear on that point.
Meanwhile, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change formation headed by Morgan Tsvangirai
says at least 10 of its elected members of parliament have gone into hiding
while others have been arrested in the turbulent environment prevailing since March.
Others say it may be preferable to delay the convening of the new parliament until talks on power-sharing between the MDC and the ruling ZANU-PF party have come up with an acceptable resolution to the crisis that flared following the March 29 balloting.
Programs Officer Phillip Pasirai of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition blamed the delay not only on the negotiations between the disputing parties, but also charged that the delay is part and parcel of Mr. Mugabe's strategy to regain control of the house from the MDC.
