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Zimbabwe's MDC Presses Mugabe, ZANU-PF on Power-Sharing Terms


Seeking to ratchet up pressure on President Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF to resolve the so-called outstanding issues troubling the country's unity government, the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has issued a loose ultimatum for those issues to be resolved in the next month.

Mr. Tsvangirai's party, which held internal consultations on the weekend, did not say what it will do if there is no progress in the next few weeks. But over that period Mr. Tsvangirai will be sounding opinion among grass roots members on the unity government and the Global Political Agreement of September 2008 which underpins power-sharing.

The Zimbabwe troika or working group of the Southern African Development Community is also due to meet in the weeks to examine compliance with the agreement. The MDC has charged noncompliance by Mr. Mugabe and ZANU-PF with the agreement.

Spokesman Nelson Chamisa of the Tsvangirai MDC formation told reporter Sandra Nyaira of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the party will take its cue on the next steps from its membership if there is no progress toward resolving the outstanding issues.

Prominent among those issues is the tenure of Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana, respectively re-appointed and appointed by President Mugabe in late 2008 in what the MDC says was a breach of the GPA's spirit if not letter.

In addition, numerous MDC members of parliament have been prosecuted in recent months on what the former opposition says are charges trumped up for political gain.

London-based political analyst Julius Mutyambizi-Dewa said all of the parties to the power-sharing arrangement must compromise in the interest of ordinary Zimbabweans

More reports from VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe...

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