Mutambara MDC says March too soon for elections

By Tererai Karimakwenda
18 December, 2007

Describing a statement by Mugabe last week that elections would be held in March next year as just simple “macho rhetoric,” the spokesperson for the Mutambara MDC formation has said there is not enough time to implement what has been agreed on at the mediated talks. The party’s secretary for information and publicity Gabriel Chaibva, said it would take nothing short of a miracle to complete the people driven constitutional process they insist on and to implement changes to oppressive legislation which have been agreed at the talks between the MDC and the ruling party. Chaibva said Mugabe wanted to be seen as a strong man and his pronouncements on these issues are “pure rhetoric.”

Chaibva also stressed that they would face Mugabe in March at an election, if it were possible to get things in order, but there was a need to create an atmosphere conducive to free and fair elections after finalizing their agreements at the talks. He said this needed much more time and March was too soon to even dream about. As for the deadlock over the Constitution that has been reported in the press, Chaibva said he believed the matter would be overcome.

Asked about the sincerity of Mugabe and ZANU-PF, given that nothing has changed on the ground and they are going ahead with organizing elections despite the talks, Chaibva said those in politics are dealers in hope. He added that they would “drag Mugabe kicking and screaming to elections” under conditions agreed to at the regionally initiated negotiations.
As to whether the two MDC formations were in complete agreement at the negotiations Chaibva said he saw no points of diversion. However there seems to be one issue that is still not resolved, and that is the issue of forming an MDC coalition to face Mugabe in the elections. Chaibva said back in July 2007, their National Council embraced the principle of a coalition and have made this clear to their colleagues in the Tsvangirai formation.

According to Chaibva, their colleagues have not formally acknowledged their willingness to form such a coalition. He explained that it is only through the press that they have recently learned that the Tsvangirai MDC are now beginning to warm to the idea. He said they were delighted to hear this.
With Robert Mugabe already in campaigning mode for elections in March 2008, and issuing the strong statement that those parties that will not be ready by then “have only themselves to blame” it is likely a showdown is looming.

Chaibva said he believes any issues left to iron out at the talks can be overcome. But many observers, civil groups and ordinary Zimbabweans have expressed deep skepticism over ZANU-PF’s supposed willingness to abide by the agreements made in South Africa.