April 4, 2002
Planned talks between the ruling ZANU PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) will ultimately pave the way for President Robert Mugabe’s exit from power before the end of his controversial new six-year term.
The two parties though still differ greatly on the modalities and the time frame for Mugabe’s premature departure, it was established this week. Among the governing party’s bargaining chips that it intends to put on the table at the talks which were due to start late yesterday is the shortening of Mugabe’s new term by at least three years, highly placed sources said.
ZANU PF wants to amend the constitution to allow the life of parliament, whose tenure is currently five years, to run concurrently with that of the presidency which is six years. What that means is that Mugabe’s current six-year term, expected to end in 2008, would be halved and end in 2005 when the term of the present parliament expires.
The proposal, if accepted by the MDC, would restore legitimacy to Mugabe’s government that has been widely condemned by Zimbabweans and the international community as having stolen last month’s bitterly contested presidential ballot.
Planned talks between the ruling ZANU PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) will ultimately pave the way for President Robert Mugabe’s exit from power before the end of his controversial new six-year term.
The two parties though still differ greatly on the modalities and the time frame for Mugabe’s premature departure, it was established this week. Among the governing party’s bargaining chips that it intends to put on the table at the talks which were due to start late yesterday is the shortening of Mugabe’s new term by at least three years, highly placed sources said.
ZANU PF wants to amend the constitution to allow the life of parliament, whose tenure is currently five years, to run concurrently with that of the presidency which is six years. What that means is that Mugabe’s current six-year term, expected to end in 2008, would be halved and end in 2005 when the term of the present parliament expires.
The proposal, if accepted by the MDC, would restore legitimacy to Mugabe’s government that has been widely condemned by Zimbabweans and the international community as having stolen last month’s bitterly contested presidential ballot.