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January 5, 2009

Zimbabwe State Press: New Government by February
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Herald newspaper says Tsvangirai and Mugabe factions will by then have
joined forces in parliament to pass constitutional amendment 
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is pressing ahead with plans to form a
new government next month with the consent of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC), according the state-controlled Herald
newspaper.

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe speaking in Harare, 11 Dec 2008SADC
mediated a September political agreement between his ZANU- PF and Morgan
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Efforts to implement
the agreement have been unsuccessful. According to the Herald, a new
government would likely be in place by the end of February. The
newspaper speculates the factions led by Mr. Tsvangirai and Mr. Mugabe
will by then have joined forces in parliament to pass a constitutional
amendment that needs a two-thirds majority to become law. The Herald
says one of the ZANU-PF negotiators and a member of the SADC
facilitation team met Saturday in the South African border town, Musina.
In addition, Mr. Mugabe has reportedly met with Arthur Mutambara, the
leader of the smaller MDC faction, who is a signatory to the September
political agreement. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai in Johannesburg, South
Africa, 10 Nov 2008Mutambara has previously said he would not go into a
government without Mr. Tsvangirai, who has been in exile in Botswana for
the past two months. Mr. Tsvangirai says there is a continuing dispute
with ZANU-PF over the allocation of ministries. According to the Herald,
he has written to Mr. Mugabe explaining why he is not yet prepared to
return to take up his post of prime minister. Presidential spokesman
George Charamba said President Mugabe is determined to have a government
in place and is keeping the Southern African Development Community
appraised of the situation. Mr. Tsvangirai said recently that he has no
plans to become prime minister in a unity government until political
disagreements are settled.


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