Two Zimbabwe opposition politicians were arrested yesterday as they entered parliament to be sworn in, their party said.
One of the men, Eliah Zembere, was among seven Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activists police have said they were seeking, alleging they were involved in election violence. The other, Sure Mudzingwa, was not on the list, and the two uniformed and three plainclothes officers who made the arrests did not say why nor where the two were being taken.
Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said he was unaware of yesterday’s arrests, and added: “It would be illegal for anyone to be arrested while they were proceeding to parliament.”
Independent human rights groups have said Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s forces were responsible for most of the violence since the opposition won the most seats in March 29 legislative elections.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat Mugabe and two other candidates in presidential elections held alongside the legislative balloting, but did not gain the simple majority of votes needed to avoid a runoff. Mugabe and Tsvangirai have entered into power-sharing negotiations.
Opposition spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the MDC remained determined to take up seats in parliament, which Mugabe was to open today for the first time since the elections nearly five months ago. Chamisa charged that the arrests were politically motivated, an attempt by Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party to regain control of parliament. ZANU-PF had controlled parliament from independence in 1980 until the March vote.
“ZANU-PF are in a desperate attempt to try and stop or abort our victory,” Chamisa said. “It’s a struggle. We have to fight it out.”
Tsvangirai’s party has 100 seats in the 210-seat legislature; Mugabe’s party holds 99; and a faction that broke away from the opposition has 10. An independent politician who broke away from Mugabe’s party has the remaining seat.
Tsvangirai had criticized the reconvening of parliament given the deadlock in power-sharing talks mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki.
Leaked documents from the talks show Tsvangirai balked at signing a deal based on an offer making him prime minister with limited powers and answerable to Mugabe, who would remain as president.
The documents show the prime minister would be deputy chairman of the Cabinet, and the president and the prime minister would need to agree on ministerial posts. With the prime minister reporting regularly to the president, Mugabe’s power would be left virtually intact.
The political impasse has worsened Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown.
Official inflation is given as 11 million percent, but independent financial institutions say it is closer to 40 million percent amid acute shortages of food, gasoline, medicine and most basic goods.
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