Tsvangirai sworn in as Prime Minister

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Posted to the web: 11/02/2009 10:23:12
MORGAN Tsvangirai was sworn in as Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Wednesday in a unity government with his long-time rival President Robert Mugabe.

Tsvangirai took the oath of office in a ceremony before an invitation-only crowd at Mugabe's official State House compound, capping nearly a year of political turmoil since disputed elections last March.

"I will well and truly serve Zimbabwe in the office of Prime Minister, so help me God," Tsvangirai said as he took his oath of office from Mugabe under a white tent in the lawn of the presidential mansion.

Former South African president Thabo Mbeki, who mediated in the power-sharing talks, attended the ceremony along with Mozambican President Armando Guebuza and Swazi King Mswati III.

After the swearing-in, Tsvangirai planned to address his supporters in a stadium, with a speech that will celebrate but also need to reassure.

The unity government is seen as an extraordinary concession by Mugabe after three decades of virtually unchallenged rule.

Many had pressed Mugabe to step down altogether, but he remains president in the power-sharing coalition.

Tsvangirai and Mugabe will be under pressure to act quickly to alleviate the suffering of impoverished Zimbabweans. The country's economic collapse has led to the world's highest inflation rate, left millions dependent on international food aid and caused a cholera outbreak that has killed some 3,400 people since August.

Also sworn into office were Tsvangirai's two deputies, Thokozani Khupe and Arthur Mutambara.

Mbeki will take the plaudits for his patient diplomacy with the Zimbabwe rivals as President and after stepping down. Assailed by western leaders over what critics called "quiet diplomacy", Mbeki insisted that a solution to Zimbabwe's political crisis could only come from the Zimbabwean leaders themselves.

After Tsvangirai was worn in, Mbeki went over to him and said: "Cde Prime Minister!" The two then hugged.

According to a timetable for the implementation of the power sharing government set by regional leaders, a Cabinet consisting of ministers nominated by Mugabe's Zanu PF, and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) factions led by Tsvangirai and Mutambara will be sworn in on Friday "which will conclude the process of the formation of the inclusive government".

Regional leaders who pushed for the coalition say once they join in the unity government, the two men will overcome mutual mistrust and work together for the good of their country.

Mugabe, who turns 85 on February 21, and has been in power since independence from Britain in 1980, had in the recent past treated the 56-year-old Tsvangirai as a western-sponsored irritant at best, often not bothering to hide his contempt.

But Tsvangirai won the most votes in the first round of the presidential election held almost a year ago, and withdrew from a June runoff citing attacks on his supporters. Mugabe went on to declare a landslide victory.

Tsvangirai MDC also broke Zanu PF's lock on parliament for the first time since independence in those March 2008 elections.

The two men have clashed repeatedly since the decade-old MDC emerged as the most serious threat to the ruling regime since independence.

Tsvangirai has been beaten and jailed by Mugabe's security forces. In 2007, police attacked him after he held an opposition meeting the government had banned. Images shown on news broadcasts around the world of his bruised and bloodied face came to symbolise the challenges his movement faced.

The coalition agreement calls for the government to make its priority reviving an economy the opposition accuses Mugabe of destroying through corruption and mismanagement.

Even if the factions can put aside their own differences, they can't do much without foreign help. The world's main donor, the United States, has made clear the money won't flow if Mugabe tries to sideline Tsvangirai. - Staff Reporter/AP/AFP
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