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NewsDay

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No June polls: Tsvangirai

Politics
Zimbabwe won’t hold elections next month because the ruling coalition has failed to agree on changes to security and media laws needed to ensure for a fair vote, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said.

CAPE TOWN — Zimbabwe won’t hold elections next month because the ruling coalition has failed to agree on changes to security and media laws needed to ensure for a fair vote, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said.

Bloomberg/Online “Violence has always characterised our elections,” Tsvangirai said in an interview on Friday with Bloomberg TV during a session at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town. “If we can contain that, it will be ready any time after June.”

Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change has accused the military and police of supporting President Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party.

The two leaders govern in a coalition established after a disputed election in 2008. Elections scheduled for this year will end the four-year-old power-sharing agreement implemented by the Southern African Development Community, which brought an end to a decade of political and economic crises that saw inflation rise to 500 billion%, according to the International Monetary Fund. Economic growth of 5% is being targeted this year, Finance minister Tendai Biti said last month.

Meanwhile, the Sadc organ on defence and security (Troika) met in South Africa Friday to discuss Zimbabwe and other regional hotspots.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town.

In a statement, the South African presidency said: “President Jacob Zuma will (on Friday) host the Sadc Troika on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town.

“The meeting will discuss matters of regional interest including Madagascar, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

The Troika is chaired by Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete and also includes the leaders of Mozambique and Namibia.

The meeting follows a recent regional diplomatic offensive by Tsvangirai which was aimed at convincing Sadc to call a meeting to discuss preparations for new elections in the country.

Sadc  facilitated the formation of the coalition government after inconclusive elections in 2008 and has been helping the Global Political Agreement parties negotiate a so-called roadmap to new elections.

Although both Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe agree that their unity arrangement is no longer workable they remain miles apart over the actual timing of new elections.