WASHINGTON DC —
Five of President Robert Mugabe’s opponents are meeting in Harare today for the second time this month to try and form a grand coalition to challenge his 33-year stranglehold on power.
Sources privy to the meeting told VOA Studio 7 that the five parties, MDC-T, MDC, Mavambo Kusile Dawn, Zapu and Zanu-Ndonga will meet again tomorrow to further discuss the delicate issue.
The five parties also came together to condemn President Mugabe at the just-ended Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Mozambique following his unilateral proclamation of an election date.
But sources say it is going to be difficult to form a coalition as the parties differ on policy issue. Though Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is tipped to lead the coalition, there are some who are pushing for a consensus candidate.
Political analyst and International Crisis Group researcher, Trevor Maisiri, says the coalition must not be for power only but the betterment of the nation.
SADC leaders told Zimbabwe’s unity government principals Saturday to seek a fresh election date instead of holding elections on July 31 as per a presidential decree issued Thursday last week.
The leaders, who held an extraordinary summit in Maputo, resolved that Zimbabwe should at least hold the elections in August this year following the implementation of some outstanding Global Political Agreement issues.
These include electoral and media reforms, the registration of voters and cleaning up of the voters roll said to have thousands of ghost voters.
Sources privy to the meeting told VOA Studio 7 that the five parties, MDC-T, MDC, Mavambo Kusile Dawn, Zapu and Zanu-Ndonga will meet again tomorrow to further discuss the delicate issue.
The five parties also came together to condemn President Mugabe at the just-ended Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Mozambique following his unilateral proclamation of an election date.
But sources say it is going to be difficult to form a coalition as the parties differ on policy issue. Though Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is tipped to lead the coalition, there are some who are pushing for a consensus candidate.
Political analyst and International Crisis Group researcher, Trevor Maisiri, says the coalition must not be for power only but the betterment of the nation.
SADC leaders told Zimbabwe’s unity government principals Saturday to seek a fresh election date instead of holding elections on July 31 as per a presidential decree issued Thursday last week.
The leaders, who held an extraordinary summit in Maputo, resolved that Zimbabwe should at least hold the elections in August this year following the implementation of some outstanding Global Political Agreement issues.
These include electoral and media reforms, the registration of voters and cleaning up of the voters roll said to have thousands of ghost voters.
