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No Deal in Zimbabwe: Talks Collapse
August 13, 2008
WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (OneWorld) - Power-sharing talks between Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai appeared to collapse last night, reflecting an ongoing deadlock over who will hold real power in the country.
Mugabe and Tsvangirai
Tsvangirai "stormed" out of the negotiations brokered by South African President Thabo Mbeki late Wednesday, according to a report in South Africa's Business Day.
Reports from Zimbabwe indicate that Mugabe may now be trying to make a deal with a small opposition faction and cut Tsvangirai out altogether, despite Tsvangirai's strong showing during elections earlier this year.
The main sticking point was reportedly a proposal by Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to reduce the time of "power-sharing" by half -- from five years to two-and-a-half -- and relegate Mugabe to a mostly ceremonial post as president.
Western countries have indicated that they will not resume aid until Mugabe is out of power, but Mugabe and his negotiators refused to accept the MDC proposal, leaving things more or less as they were following the final round of elections in June, which Mugabe won when Tsvangirai dropped out after at least 100 of his supporters were killed or badly beaten.
The failure to reach a negotiated settlement, even with regional and international backing and pressure, is a major disappointment to many Zimbabweans, such as 28-year-old shopkeeper John Rukweza, interviewed by IRIN News following the announcement about the talks.
"Many in formal employment thought that an internationally accepted deal would bring back the spark to their jobs, but there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel," said Rukweza.
Offering insight into the current situation, he added: "Even if he [Mugabe] wanted to give Tsvangirai some executive powers, there are many powerful people within his party who would lose out, and these people seem to be pressuring him to deny the MDC leader what rightfully belongs to him and to the people."
As early as March, when Tsvangirai won a larger share of the vote than Mugabe, there were rumors that the longtime leader was ready to give up power but pressured by powerful interests in the country who feared new leadership would lead to a loss of power and influence, and perhaps even prosecution for rights violations.
Meanwhile, reports from Zimbabwe suggest that violence against MDC supporters has continued unabated since March, when the first round of elections took place. Aimed at discouraging open and vocal support for the opposition, violence is being carried out mainly by armed forces and youth allied with Mugabe's political party, ZANU-PF.
Later this month, 14 women from the local nongovernmental organization Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) are scheduled to go to trial, after being arrested in June for protesting the country's one-man election.
WOZA is one of Zimbabwe's largest and most influential civil society groups, with more than 35,000 members. Two of its leaders were arrested during a peaceful march, according to Amnesty International.
Amnesty is urging human rights supporters to weigh in on the Aug. 27 trials of Jenni Williams, Magadonga Mahlangu, and other WOZA members by writing to Mbeki, since he is mediating the power-sharing talks on behalf of the Southern Africa Development Community and might thus be in a position to press for a judicial outcome favoring free expression and human rights.
In a letter to Mbeki, Amnesty calls for an "immediate end to police intimidation, arbitrary arrest and torture of all human rights activists, including members of WOZA, and to allow human rights activists to work without fear of persecution."
OneWorld TV: Promoting Involved Fatherhood in Zimbabwe
Mugabe and Tsvangirai
Tsvangirai "stormed" out of the negotiations brokered by South African President Thabo Mbeki late Wednesday, according to a report in South Africa's Business Day.Reports from Zimbabwe indicate that Mugabe may now be trying to make a deal with a small opposition faction and cut Tsvangirai out altogether, despite Tsvangirai's strong showing during elections earlier this year.
The main sticking point was reportedly a proposal by Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to reduce the time of "power-sharing" by half -- from five years to two-and-a-half -- and relegate Mugabe to a mostly ceremonial post as president.
Western countries have indicated that they will not resume aid until Mugabe is out of power, but Mugabe and his negotiators refused to accept the MDC proposal, leaving things more or less as they were following the final round of elections in June, which Mugabe won when Tsvangirai dropped out after at least 100 of his supporters were killed or badly beaten.
The failure to reach a negotiated settlement, even with regional and international backing and pressure, is a major disappointment to many Zimbabweans, such as 28-year-old shopkeeper John Rukweza, interviewed by IRIN News following the announcement about the talks.
"Many in formal employment thought that an internationally accepted deal would bring back the spark to their jobs, but there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel," said Rukweza.
Offering insight into the current situation, he added: "Even if he [Mugabe] wanted to give Tsvangirai some executive powers, there are many powerful people within his party who would lose out, and these people seem to be pressuring him to deny the MDC leader what rightfully belongs to him and to the people."
As early as March, when Tsvangirai won a larger share of the vote than Mugabe, there were rumors that the longtime leader was ready to give up power but pressured by powerful interests in the country who feared new leadership would lead to a loss of power and influence, and perhaps even prosecution for rights violations.
Meanwhile, reports from Zimbabwe suggest that violence against MDC supporters has continued unabated since March, when the first round of elections took place. Aimed at discouraging open and vocal support for the opposition, violence is being carried out mainly by armed forces and youth allied with Mugabe's political party, ZANU-PF.
Later this month, 14 women from the local nongovernmental organization Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) are scheduled to go to trial, after being arrested in June for protesting the country's one-man election.
WOZA is one of Zimbabwe's largest and most influential civil society groups, with more than 35,000 members. Two of its leaders were arrested during a peaceful march, according to Amnesty International.
Amnesty is urging human rights supporters to weigh in on the Aug. 27 trials of Jenni Williams, Magadonga Mahlangu, and other WOZA members by writing to Mbeki, since he is mediating the power-sharing talks on behalf of the Southern Africa Development Community and might thus be in a position to press for a judicial outcome favoring free expression and human rights.
In a letter to Mbeki, Amnesty calls for an "immediate end to police intimidation, arbitrary arrest and torture of all human rights activists, including members of WOZA, and to allow human rights activists to work without fear of persecution."
OneWorld TV: Promoting Involved Fatherhood in Zimbabwe
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