Tsvangirai fights for control of Parliament

Tsvangirai fights for control of Parliament

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By Staff Reporter

A FACTION of Zimbabwe's divided opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) loyal to party leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has petitioned Zimbabwe's Speaker of Parliament to ignore parliamentary appointments made by an opposition faction last week.

Innocent Gonese, was the MDC's parliamentary chief whip until a faction loyal to Tsvangirai's deputy, Gibson Sibanda, replaced him with Kwekwe MP Blessing Chebundo soon after gaining control of the parliamentary party last week.

Sibanda also unveiled a new shadow cabinet. The group claims the support of 23 MPs from the 41 MDC MPs in Zimbabwe's parliament.

Parliamentary sources told New Zimbabwe.com Thursday that Gonese had written to John Nkomo, the Speaker of Parliament, urging him to ignore the appointments and "maintain the status quo".

"Gonese basically urged the Speaker to maintain the status quo until advised otherwise," said one parliamentary source.

He added: "The sum total of this development is that it places the Speaker in a quandary as to which side to listen to, having received two conflicting claims from two groups from the same party."

Nkomo and his deputy Kumbirai Kangai were not in Parliament this week and it remains unclear if Gonese's intervention will be taken seriously.

New Zimbabwe.com understands that Bulawayo South MP, David Coltart, who has declined to align himself with any of the factions is approaching both groups with a five-point plan to secure an "amicable divorce".

The areas that the two groups need to agree on include:

• The addition of a suffix or prefix by both groups to the party name so that one group does not have an unfair advantage through the use of the party name.

• Agreeing on how to share the party properties

• Agreeing that neither faction will approach the Speaker seeking the removal of any MPs and precipitating by-elections

• Agreeing that neither group will use the MDC's open hand symbol as that may give the other group unfair advantage

• Reaching an agreement on the use of party slogans (although this is considered of lesser significance)

A ruling Zanu PF MP watching the developments in the MDC warned that short of an amicable solution to the party's internal wrangling, Zimbabweans could soon be marching to vote in by elections across the country.

"If they don't handle this situation carefully, by elections seem certain," the MP who declined to be named said. "One group might target the other and ask the Speaker to declare certain seats vacant. Instead of having by elections in a few seats, we could end up with by elections right across the country and Zanu PF will emerge the biggest winner."
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