MDC to make key decisions on Saturday

By Lance Guma
31 January 2008

The MDC under Morgan Tsvangirai will meet on Saturday to make key decisions regarding participation in the March 29 election and will also decide on a unity deal with the Mutambara MDC. Party spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the National Council will deliberate on the two critical issues before a press conference is convened on Sunday to announce the resolutions. Mugabe set February 8 as the nomination deadline for parties contesting in the elections to submit their candidates. Chamisa denied they had been forced into a hasty meeting by Mugabe’s timetable and that the meeting had been organised some time ago.

Either way the dates have forced the opposition to speed up their re-unification attempts. The MDC - united or split - will now have to decide whether to participate in an election that analysts already say will be rigged by Mugabe. Chamisa refused to be drawn into the speculation on the MDC unity deal, but other reports say Arthur Mutambara has been offered a ‘safe’ parliamentary seat in Harare Central, an MDC stronghold. Another compromise put in place is that candidates from either faction will not challenge sitting MDC MP’s in their constituencies. It remains to be seen how party structures will respond to having candidates imposed on them for the sake of reunification.

Meanwhile the debate on election participation remains a thorny one. National Constitutional Assembly chairperson Lovemore Madhuku has already predicted a Zanu PF victory. He said nothing had changed on the ground to ensure free and fair elections. Responding to a state media article quoting his remarks Madhuku said, ‘the state media has quoted me correctly this time and I will say it again now. The MDC will not win the general elections in March. It’s clear that Mugabe is still in charge of these elections because nothing has changed despite the piece-meal amendments to POSA, the electoral and media laws.’

Political commentator Dr John Makumbe joined Madhuku in expressing pessimism over the entire process. He says the MDC shot itself in the foot by agreeing to sign amendments to the country’s constitution, alongside Zanu PF. Makumbe believes the party can no longer rescue itself from the effects of having negotiated with Zanu PF, especially in light of the talks collapsing. He says the opposition were naïve in the first place to think the SADC talks would bring about a solution to the crisis ravaging the country. Chamisa however remained upbeat, saying party members will decide on which direction the MDC will go.