Zuma tasked urgently to meet principals

The resolutions of these differences should be done within a timeframe so that the country proceeds to conduct the elections.

Zanu-PF has stoodfast that the harmonised elections should be held this year, while the MDC formations want them next year.

All the parties in the inclusive Government revealed to Sadc leaders during the Angola Summit last week that they were ready for the elections.

However, the MDC formations are being accused of deliberately confusing Zimbabweans on the outcome of the Summit.

In an interview yesterday, Presidential spokesperson, Mr George Charamba, said the Summit made it clear to all the parties that time was not on their side as the GPA was coming to “a close.”

The term of the current Parliament is also ending in March next year.

“The Summit asked the facilitator and South African President Mr Jacob Zuma to come to Zimbabwe to urgently discuss with the principals to the GPA with a view to dealing with what ever issues the parties might have.

“Given the urgency of the matter, we expect the South African President in the country next week or in the next two weeks,” said Mr Charamba.

He said the South African president was expected to come and see how the problem areas among the parties could be solved within a timeframe.

Mr Charamba said it was only after that crucial meeting that the principals could discuss an election roadmap.

“It is entirely up to the Zimbabweans as parties to the Global Political Agreement to decide on the appropriate time for the elections…In the meantime the parties to the Global Political Agreement within and amongst themselves should agree on ways of tackling areas of differences,” he said.

Mr Charamba said the summit agreed that all parties to the GPA should commit themselves to the resolutions of all issues agreed on the GPA including the constitution making process.

“Note that the Summit is not talking about a new constitution, it is talking about concluding the constitution making process… The Summit could not predetermine or foreclose the outcome of the constitution. There are two possibilities of the outcome of the constitution making process, which are the rejection of the draft or its acceptance.

“There is a difference between concluding the constitution making process and agreeing on a new constitution. You can conclude the constitution making process on a way of a deadlock. We should never consider conclusion as having a new constitution… During the referendum, a Yes might not follow,” he said.

All the parties in the inclusive Government, save for Professor Arthur Mutambara who tried to be academic on the holding of the polls, agreed that there was need to hold the election as soon as possible.

Mr Charamba said President Mugabe made it clear that there were some issues already in the draft constitution, among them dual citizenship that Zanu-PF was not going to shift its stance.

Mr Charamba said the MDC-T was confusing the people on the outcome of the Summit.

“The confusion around the outcome of the Summit came from certain individuals who do not seem to know the differences between debates within the Troika and the actual recommendations of the Troika and the decisions of the Summit. The Summit then takes final decision. What matters are the recommendations of the Troika to the Summit, which ultimately builds the decision of the Summit,” he said.

The Sadc organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation that comprises three members reports to the full Sadc Summit that passes final resolutions on issues.