MDC-T in election U-turn

Addressing journalists soon after his party’s national council meeting, Mr Tsvangirai said his party wanted only presidential elections next year.
The latest MDC-T position is a shift after the party had earlier argued that elections should be put on hold after President Mugabe had indicated that the life of the inclusive Government should not be extended as polls have to be held at the expiry of the Global Political Agreement which gave birth to the coalition.

Observers have noted that the MDC-T fears that its simple majority in the House of Assembly will be diluted as Zanu-PF is expected to romp to victory in the forthcoming polls slated for next year.
Political analysts have also indicated Mr Tsvangirai and his party’s position were made out of ignorance of the constitution, which was amended to hold harmonised polls that is presidential, parliamentary and council elections.

In his address Mr Tsvangirai reiterated what the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions claimed that what was in dispute were the presidential elections and not other polls.

“For the avoidance of doubt, council resolves that the next election should be solely for the disputed presidential election of 2008 with a harmonised election to be held in 2013 as prescribed by the Constitution,” said Mr Tsvangirai.

During the March 29 harmonised elections, Mr Tsvangirai led the polls but subsequently lost to President Mugabe in the June 27 run-off after claiming he had withdrawn from the poll.
But the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission dismissed the withdrawal saying he could not at law withdraw since the initial process was inconclusive and had to be completed.

Political analyst and Tsholotsho North Mem-ber of the House of Assembly, Prof Jonathan Moyo said in terms of the country’s Constitution, there could be no single election but harmonised polls called for by the President in his capacity as Head of State and Government.

“Zimbabwe can never have parliamentary elections or local authority elections only in terms of the Constitution. The only people who do not know that are the Americans and their puppets,” said Prof Moyo.

He said Mr Tsvangirai had no moral high ground to speak on the elections but should instead resign from Government and politics in the wake of revelations by the United States classified cables released by the whistle blowing WikiLeaks.

“No amount of treachery or propaganda will hide the fact that Tsvangirai must forget about elections but retire from Government and politics because of his treasonous activities as revealed by WikiLeaks, no amount of political games can save him, he should retire and face prosecution,” he said.

“Tsvangirai does not speak on behalf of this country but for the Americans who massively hold his hand in everything he does.

“Tsvangirai and his masters should know that the President is not a creation of the GPA but the Prime Minister and his cronies are the creation of the GPA.

“There is no single clause in the GPA creating the President but there is a clause creating the PM, and you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that.”