WORLD> Africa
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WORLD> Africa
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Cabinet disagreements threaten Zimbabwe deal
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-19 10:05 HARARE, Zimbabwe -- President Robert Mugabe and his political rivals have been unable to agree on how to share key Cabinet posts, an opposition spokesman said Thursday in a sign that deep and bitter divisions were threatening a watershed unity government agreement.
Mugabe's party "is claiming all the powerful ministries," Chamisa said. "That is why there couldn't be agreement and it's being referred back to the negotiators." He said the ministries in contention included home affairs, which directs police who have been accused of political violence. Mugabe remains commander in chief, so the opposition was likely to insist on control of at least some security forces. The other disputed ministries were foreign affairs, finance and local government, he said. Chamisa said Mugabe, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and a leader of a smaller opposition faction, Arthur Mutambara, would meet again after Mugabe attends the UN General Assembly meeting next week. Thursday's talks were the first since the signing of a power-sharing deal on Monday that has Mugabe ceding some power for the first time in 28 years. Under the pact, Mugabe remains president and head of government, chairing the Cabinet. Tsvangirai will be prime minister and head of a new Council of Ministers responsible for forming government policy. He is deputy chairman of the Cabinet. The agreement provides for 31 ministers, down from 50, 15 nominated by Mugabe's party, 13 by Tsvangirai and three by Mutambara. Many Mugabe loyalists will lose their jobs. Mugabe told his party leaders at a meeting Wednesday that sharing power with rivals is a "humiliation" that has to be accepted because they lost March elections. |
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