afrol News, 14 November - The parties to the Zimbabwe conflict prepare for a showdown over the appointment of a new government. While President Robert Mugabe is in the process of forming a new government, the MDC opposition has already termed this as "illegitimate" and says it will take to the streets.

The "Global Political Agreement" brokered by the African Union (AU) was to see to the establishment of a unity government and power sharing between President Mugabe's ZANU-PF and the MDC. But the agreement is further and further away from being implemented, the conflict between the two Zimbabwean power blocks again deepening.

Zimbabwe's Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu has now told state media that President Mugabe is in the process of naming a new government on his own, without negotiating with MDC. Minister Ndlovu announced the new government would be "inclusive", indicating Mr Mugabe would try to convince some MDC representatives to participate.

However, the opposition party, which is widely believed to have won this year's elections, says it cannot accept the naming of a new government without the prior implementation of the AU-brokered agreement.

At a national council held in Harare today, the MDC made resolutions on how to act on the current political crisis. According to the party, "neither Robert Mugabe nor Zanu PF have the legitimacy of forming any government or running this country" until the agreement is implemented, the constitution is amended in line with the agreement, the new MDC-dominated parliament is convened and other outstanding issues are resolved.

But the party nevertheless foresees that President Mugabe's next step will be to name a government. "In the event of an illegitimate government being unilaterally formed, the MDC will not be part to the same and will peacefully, constitutionally and democratically mobilise and campaign against the illegitimate government," the party resolution says.

The MDC national council also expressed disappointment over the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and its handling of the crisis. SADC, which is a guarantor of the AU-brokered agreement, had tried to reduce the political crisis to a discussion over the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The recent SADC meeting on Zimbabwe had "ignored the other five outstanding issues, in particular, the principle of equity and the fact that a new government cannot be formed without Constitutional Amendment No. 19 and all other issues remain outstanding," the MDC resolution said.

The party would only "participate in a new government" after the constitution had been amended in a legal manner. For that to happen, "parliament must be convened as a matter of urgency to carry out its normal business of overseeing the executive," the MDC pointed out.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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