Zimbabwe: Unity Deal in the Making
Al Jazeera reported on Monday that ‘Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president, is set to sign a power-sharing deal with his long-time rival Morgan Tsvangirai in a bid to end the country’s political turmoil triggered by his controversial re-election.’
The re-election of Mugabe was controversial because he was not re-elected, yet refused to step down nonetheless.
‘Representatives of African nations have gathered in the capital Harare for the ceremony on Monday, even as the two sides sought to finalise the allocation of cabinet posts in the new administration,’ the Dubai-based network added.
‘No details of the pact have been officially released but it is believed that Tsvangirai will become prime minister and chair a council of ministers.’
Mugabe, meanwhile, ‘is expected to retain his control of the army and preside over cabinet meetings. However, his control over the country’s security forces will be weakened as Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is likely to gain control of the police.’
Zimbabweans themselves are described as “cautiously optimistic” about the deal.
“Generally people are glad that the election process is over and that something positive might come out of it,” the network’s Haru Mutasa, reporting from Harare, said.
“Generally people are glad that the election process is over and that something positive might come out of it,” she said.
“They have been through a lot Zimbabweans, from the beginning they have been made promises, promises that have not been delivered.”
Zimbabwe has the most problematic economy in Africa at this moment. What was once the continent’s best performing economy has devolved into an instable, inflation-riddled economy in recent years. Unemployment is up, and Zimbabweans are generally not able to take care of themselves and their families. As a result, they have little to no time to think about politics; all most of them want is the opportunity to buy food and clothes for themselves and their children.
The deal hopefully means that they can start doing so ASAP; the political chaos was horrendous for the country since its leaders were more busy with remaining in a position of power than improving the country’s economy.
