The three parties in the inclusive government were yesterday deadlocked on the outstanding issues in the constitution-making process in yet another setback in preparations for fresh elections.
MDC-T secretary-general Tendai Biti said the six-member Copac management committee failed to agree on the devolution of power, the Executive structure and dual citizenship at the crucial meeting.
The committee comprises of Biti and Elton Mangoma (MDC-T), Zanu PF’s Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche and MDC’s Moses Mzila-Ndlovu and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga.
The committee had met to finalise the matters before the draft constitution is presented to the principals in the troubled inclusive government.Biti said they had differed on how an individual could lose his/her citizenship.
He also said they had failed to reach consensus on the number of vice-presidents the constitution should allow.
“On devolution, what will be the structure of the provinces, how many provincial governors will be there and how many people will sit in the provincial parliament? There was no agreement on these issues,” he said.
“There was no movement on the outstanding issues because they need to go back to the principals and one of the principals, President Robert Mugabe, is out of the country.
“After consulting with the principals we will have a meeting next week.”
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The three issues were referred to the management committee after the select committee hit a similar deadlock. Mangoma confirmed attending the meeting but declined to give details, referring NewsDay to party spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora.
“I can confirm the meeting but I cannot give you a comment, try Mwonzora,” Mangoma said. Contacted for comment, Mwonzora said: “For MDC-T, election is not much as to when rather than on what conditions.”
Mugabe recently threatened to announce the dates for fresh elections if a referendum on the new constitution is not held next month.
Zanu PF hawks are pushing for elections using the Lancaster House Constitution saying waiting for the Copac process was unnecessary.
But Zanu PF’s coalition partners are arguing that the elections would not be possible without reforms including a new constitution as guaranteed in the Global Political Agreement.
Meanwhile, Biti and Agriculture minister Joseph Made yesterday jointly launched a $20 million loan facility for farmers involved in winter wheat cropping.
Biti said government owed a combined $170 million to service providers including suppliers of agricultural inputs, adding the debt had crippled the productive sector.
Made said they were targeting more than 20 000 hectares for this year’s winter wheat programme.
