Zimbabwe’s government plans to convene parliament next week despite deadlock in talks to end a post-election political crisis that has worsened the country’s economic decline and seen inflation hit 11 million percent.
The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said it was not opposed to the opening of parliament but would reject any moves by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to appoint a Cabinet before a power-sharing agreement is sealed.
“If he [Mugabe] goes further and appoints a Cabinet, it will be against the letter and spirit of the MOU,” party spokesman Tapiwa Mashakada said, in reference to a Memorandum of Understanding between the ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition on the negotiations.
In March elections, ZANU-PF lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since independence from Britain in 1980, but Morgan Tsvanigrai’s MDC did not win an overall majority either. The balance of power rests in the hands of a breakaway opposition faction led by Arthur Mutambara.
He has moved closer to Mugabe in recent weeks and any deal between them could weaken Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe’s most powerful opposition leader, and add to political uncertainty.
Negotiations began last month after Mugabe was re-elected unopposed in June, in a vote condemned around the world and boycotted by Tsvangirai because of attacks on his supporters.
The political deadlock over who will control the government has hindered efforts to ease Zimbabwe’s economic crisis.
Inflation rocketed to 11 million percent in June and chronic food, fuel and foreign currency shortages are worsening.
Tsvangirai’s MDC challenges Mugabe’s legitimacy, but under Zimbabwean law, parliament is convened and officially opened by the state president.
Still, the MDC’s decision not to oppose the opening of parliament may have been a concession, given the fierce power struggle gripping Zimbabwe.
A beauty queen who pulled out of the Miss South Africa competition when her nationality was questioned has said she wants to relocate to Nigeria, after coming second in the Miss Universe pageant while representing the West African country. Chidimma Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian, was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania and was runner-up to Denmark’s Victoria Kjar Theilvig in Mexico on Saturday night. The 23-year-old law student withdrew from the Miss South Africa competition in August, saying that she needed to protect herself and her family after the government alleged that her mother had stolen the identity of a South
BELT-TIGHTENING: Chinese investments in Cambodia are projected to drop to US$35 million in 2026 from more than US$420 million in 2021 At a ceremony in August, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet knelt to receive blessings from saffron-robed monks as fireworks and balloons heralded the breaking of ground for a canal he hoped would transform his country’s economic fortunes. Addressing hundreds of people waving the Cambodian flag, Hun Manet said China would contribute 49 percent to the funding of the Funan Techo Canal that would link the Mekong River to the Gulf of Thailand and reduce Cambodia’s shipping reliance on Vietnam. Cambodia’s government estimates the strategic, if contentious, infrastructure project would cost US$1.7 billion, nearly 4 percent of the nation’s annual GDP. However, months later,
Texas’ education board on Friday voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools, joining other Republican-led US states that pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, is optional for schools to adopt, but they would receive additional funding if they do so. The materials could appear in classrooms as early as next school year. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has voiced support for the lesson plans, which were provided by the state’s education agency that oversees the more than
The Philippine Department of Justice yesterday labeled Vice President Sara Duterte the “mastermind” of a plot to assassinate the nation’s president, giving her five days to respond to a subpoena. Duterte is being asked to explain herself in the wake of a blistering weekend press conference where she said she had instructed that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr be killed should an alleged plot to kill her succeed. “The government is taking action to protect our duly elected president,” Philippine Undersecretary of Justice Jesse Andres said at yesterday’s press briefing. “The premeditated plot to assassinate the president as declared by the self-confessed mastermind
RSS