20120225
AFP
Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai vowed Friday to resist a push by President Robert Mugabe to hold new elections this year, insisting that their unity government first follow through on promised reforms.

"Only after the necessary reforms have been implemented will the president and I agree on the date of elections," Tsvangirai told a press conference.

"I will not agree to elections without the reforms. The way forward is a free and fair election, but only predicated by a process which includes a new constitution and the implementation of those reforms that will result in a credible poll.

"Anything else would be a circus. The lesson of 2008 is that Zimbabwe cannot afford anything other than a credible poll."

Tsvangirai won the first round presidential vote in 2008 and his Movement for Democratic Change captured its first majority in parliament, setting off a wave of reprisal attacks that left more than 200 of his supporters dead and prompted him to pull out of the run-off.

Under intense regional pressure, Tsvangirai and Mugabe formed a power-sharing government in 2009 to avoid a complete meltdown in the country, whose economy had collapsed under world-record hyperinflation.

The unity pact is meant to pave the way to fresh polls, which Mugabe this week insisted should happen this year -- even if promised reforms are not yet in place.

The power-sharing agreement requires a new constitution as well as media and electoral reforms, but progress has been hampered by political haggling and violence.

Although Tsvangirai won control of the purse strings under the power-sharing deal, he's been frustrated by Mugabe's firm grip on the security forces as well as the crucial mining ministry, which oversees the country's biggest industry.

"We have failed in many respects as a government mainly because ours is a difficult coalition where there is no shared vision and no shared values," Tsvangirai said.

"This government is a painful story of frustration due to mixed messages from what is supposed to be the same team," he said, denouncing ongoing political attacks and arbitrary arrests -- often targeting his supporters.

Work on the new charter has run in fits and starts, hindered by attacks on public outreach meetings by supporters of Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.

Tsvangirai accused Mugabe's ZANU-PF party of stalling the reforms but said he would not be pushed out of the shaky power-sharing government.

"ZANU-PF is stalling the election because most of the reforms reside in their ministries," he said. "If these are implemented tomorrow, we can go to an election any time."

Mugabe, in power since independence in 1980, has already been endorsed as his party's candidate in the polls.

He said in an interview to mark his 88th birthday on Tuesday that he has no plans to retire anytime soon, despite reports that he suffers from prostate cancer.

"The day will come when I will become sick," Mugabe said. "As of now I am fit as a fiddle."

"I have died many times," he said. "That's where I have beaten Christ. Christ died once and resurrected once. I have died and resurrected and I don't know how many times I will die and resurrect."

Mugabe has repeatedly pushed for elections this year, but the constitution-drafting commission says a referendum on the charter could not be held before August -- meaning elections are unlikely this year.