Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai announced on Friday his party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has agreed to join a unity government with President Robert Mugabe, despite lingering concerns as to how cabinets seats will shared.
A power-sharing deal agreed to more than four months ago has never been implemented. Friday’s announcement will pave the way for Tsvangirai to become prime minister on February 11th, should the time table laid down by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) goes as planned.
Asked whether the MDC had succumbed to outside pressure to commit to the unity government, Joseph Mungwari, spokesperson for Morgan Tsvangirai, reminded VOA’s Akwei Thompson, the MDC’s decision to agree to enter the unity government was made before these last round of talks, on condition that certain outstanding issues were addressed.
“On the 15th of September, 2008, he signed the global political agreement which was in actual fact was the decision to join the inclusive government,” Mungwari said.
Tsvangirai’s spokeman explained that the events of the past four months happen to be a “continuation of the global political agreement into becoming a government. “There were other issues that we thought needed to be addressed.” Outstanding issues that were acknowledged by the former President of South Africa and chief mediator of the talks.
Mungwari said the MDC had seen some progress being made in addressing some of those concerns. And more importantly, he said it was time both parties took responsibility and leadership in tackling Zimbabwe’s problems and restoring the hopes and aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe.
