20100913
africanews

The two main political rivals in southern African country of Zimbabwe - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe - had agreed to hold elections next year.

According to Tsvangirai both parties have come to a mutual agreement that whoever lost should not challenge the outcome of the polls.

Tsvangirai told about 5 000 people gathered to celebrate MDC-T's 11th anniversary that the two leaders had agreed to take advantage of the prevailing peace to hold elections that would put an end to the unity government.

"When I last saw President Mugabe he said the prevailing peace was ideal for us to go for an election and this time we agreed that whoever loses should make way for the winner," Tsvangirai said.

Tsvangirai won the first round of the 2008 presidential election but did not garner enough votes to secure an outright victory. He was stopped from running in a run-off poll by an orgy of violence, which the MDC-T blamed on the security forces.

Army generals have in the past vowed that Tsvangirai would never rule this country as long as they were alive.

“We are going for an election as Sadc and the AU have said an election is the only way to close this chapter," the Prime Minister said.

Mugabe has also been on a drive calling for elections next year and is reported to have ordered Finance minister Tendai Biti to budget $200 million for polls set for next year.
Half of that money will be set aside for a referendum on the new constitution whose drafting is expected to be complete by April next year.

The other $100 million will be for holding presidential elections, which are set to be held after the referendum.

On the new constitution, Tsvangirai said he and his party would return to tell the electorate how to vote and if the wishes of the people were not followed they could tell them to oppose it as they had done in 2000.

He said even if the constitution was drafted it would still have to be a negotiated settlement as none of the parties had a two thirds majority and so they could not pass it without compromise.

Already Zanu PF has threatened to campaign for a no vote if their stance on land and homosexuality were not catered for in the draft.