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NewsDay

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‘GNU ends in 2013’

Politics
Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara yesterday told Parliament the inclusive government has a five-year lifespan ending in 2013, contrary to the position of Zanu PF that it was supposed to lapse in February this year. Mutambara said this in the House of Assembly during the question and answer session while responding to assertions by Mutare […]

Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara yesterday told Parliament the inclusive government has a five-year lifespan ending in 2013, contrary to the position of Zanu PF that it was supposed to lapse in February this year.

Mutambara said this in the House of Assembly during the question and answer session while responding to assertions by Mutare South MP Fred Kanzama (Zanu PF), that the lifespan of the inclusive government had lapsed.

“If you read the Global Political Agreement (GPA) carefully, you will see that the MP has misrepresented facts,” Mutambara said.

“I know that the misconception is that the GPA document states that it should last for 18 months and another 16 months, which makes it 24 months or two years, but it then also says we must sit down and say have we achieved conditions in the country which will allow for free and fair elections?” he said.

Mutambara said the issue of the successful completion of the new Constitution was very important before dissolving the inclusive government.

“The new Constitution cannot be a time or event-driven process. Our task is to say how much time is required for thematic committees to finish their work for us to have the Constitution completed and for us to have a referendum?” he said.

Mutambara said there should also be electoral, media, political and economic reforms before elections were held to end the GNU.

“We should create conditions to allow free and fair elections where the losers will congratulate the winner and the winner will then form a government. The GPA document was poorly crafted, but if you look at it carefully it states that 2013 is the limit for an inclusive government,” he said.

Mutambara said the inclusive government could go beyond five years because even the duration of Parliament was five years and legally at that time there should be elections.

President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai have insisted, against protests from Mutambara’s former MDC formation, that the DPM is still a GPA principal and continue to include him at the weekly meetings of the principals.

President Mugabe and his Zanu PF party have declared the GNU has expired and are agitating for elections be held this year.

Tsvangirai says while the GPA does not give the GNU any specific lifespan, it does not press on a particular election timeframe. The MDC-T says it is ready for elections, but argues that can only happen after a clear roadmap is set and agreed on and with a new Constitution.

The issue of elections has put Zimbabwe on the edge and incidents of violence have begun to resurface as parties have embarked on campaigning.

The Sadc mediators in the Zimbabwe crisis have become the centre of political interest in Zimbabwe as they work to put together the election roadmap.

The June 11 meeting of Sadc Heads of State in South Africa is expected to come up with what could be the answer as to whether or not Zimbabwe can have elections this year.