20091222

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and his rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai have agreed on commissions to drive media and electoral reforms, one of the key issues which has been threatening their power-sharing deal.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai formed a unity government earlier this year to try to end a decade-long political and economic crisis, but the coalition has been struggling with disputes over the pace of reforms and the appointment of senior state officials.

In a statement after a meeting between Mugabe and Tsvangirai on Monday, the government said the leaders had appointed people nominated by a parliamentary committee to sit on Zimbabwe's Media Commission, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission -- all new organs expected to steer reforms seen as critical to attracting foreign aid.

Analysts say the three commissions look politically balanced with technocrats and officials with ties to both Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change

(MDC).

Despite the appointments, Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a small MDC faction in the unity government, are still haggling over the appointment of provincial governors and Mugabe's refusal to swear in as Deputy Agriculture Minister Roy Bennett, a senior Tsvangirai ally facing treason.

Mugabe has also refused to sack two of his own ZANU-PF allies who he appointed as head of the central bank and the Attorney-General without consulting Tsvangirai.

In October, Tsvangirai's MDC announced it was "disengaging" from the unity government over these disputes but rejoined three weeks later after mediation by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).