20101219
The Herald

Harare — PRESIDENT Mugabe has said attempts by MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai to mislead the nation into thinking only Presidential elections will be held next year are contrary to the Constitution.

On Thursday, Mr Tsvangirai told journalists in Harare that there should only be a presidential poll next year with Parliamentary and local government elections following in 2013.

However, addressing delegates to the 11th Zanu-PF Annual National People's Conference in Mutare yesterday, President Mugabe said the Constitution was clear on this issue, adding that he was not interested in extending the inclusive Government's lifespan.

President Mugabe reiterates this position in his foreword to the Central Committee report presented to the conference yesterday.

According to action timelines in the Global Political Agreement between Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations, the inclusive Government's tenure ends in February next year.

The parties are required to steer a constitution-making programme whose outcome is to be put to the people in a referendum after which a national plebiscite is to be held.

However, constitutional experts have pointed out that the general elections can be held even if a new constitution is not put in place.

Said the President yesterday: "We agreed to work together in the Global Political Agreement as a compromise, but we also said that it would not be a permanent arrangement for running the country.

"Some are dragging their feet, havachaadi ma-election. Ndakanzwa kuti MDC yakagara musangano nezuro (Thursday) vakati maelection aPresident ndo achaitwa next year.

"But the GPA cannot be allowed to continue. We have already established that elections must be held harmoniously; that means we must combine the Presidential, the Parliamentary -- both houses -- with Local Government elections.

"It's a matter that perhaps will need a resolution (from this conference). We understand that some provinces have already drafted a resolution to the effect that we must hold elections next year."

Constitution of Zimbabwe (Amendment) Number 18 Act of 2007 states that elections should be harmonised.

The GPA has no provision for splitting elections and even if it did, observers have noted, that document is subservient to the Constitution of Zimbabwe and is merely an annexure to Amend-ment Number 18.

In the foreword to the Central Committee report, President Mugabe said: "Over the last 22 months we have witnessed unacceptable attempts by the MDC-T, some hostile NGOs and imperialist Western countries to divide us by creating and promoting parallel government structures and processes which appear designed to undermine the GPA and the inclusive Government.

"What is most objectionable about this mischief is that as they undertake selective funding of Government departments and ministries, these detractors unashamedly and hypocritically keep calling for the full implementation of the very same GPA whose existence they are working against.

"Some of them have even had the temerity to smuggle their intelligence operatives into the Office of the Prime Minister in blatant violation of our national law tenets as well.

"Developments around these and related machinations of our detractors have given rise to legitimate calls for an early general election.

"It is common knowledge that the tenure of the inclusive Government we formed with the opposition on February 13, 2009 is due to expire and be reviewed in February next year.

"Our position is that the constitutional process should at that stage have come into the picture, pointing to an election date coming sooner in the year than the political cowards desire."

He accused MDC-T of "unfaithfulness", "chicanery" and "total deceit".

The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces pointed out that MDC-T had boycotted Cabinet in October 2009 as part of an "ill-fated, neo-colonial ploy to force the President to appoint that unrepentant racist Rhodesian called Roy Bennett as Deputy Minister of Agriculture, even as he was facing serious criminal allegations in the courts of law".

Further evidence that MDC-T is not committed to the inclusive Government, President Mugabe said, was the decision by the party's legislators to disrupt Senate business last month.