Zimbabwe’s main opposition group declared itself the country’s new ruling party on Friday and convened what it called a session of parliam
In a self-proclaimed “state of the nation” address, Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Zimbabwe was about to witness “a new and different era of governance.”
Tsvangirai asked his party’s newly elected lawmakers, gathered at the Harare International Conference Center, to stand for a minute’s silence for more than 50 people who have died in violence since the March elections. Tens of thousands of opposition supporters have been driven from their homes.
He described Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party as now in opposition.
The opposition won 110 seats in the 210-seat parliament in March elections, which gave it control of the legislature for the first time since independence from Britain in 1980.
Mugabe’s party won 97, and three by-elections are pending. Parliament has not yet met.
Tsvangirai also won the presidential ballot but not by an outright majority, official results show. He now faces Mugabe in a runoff vote on June 27.
“I can’t see Tsvangirai winning,” Zimbabwean Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told reporters in the South African capital Pretoria.
“If he wins, it will be a destabilizing event in Zimbabwe,” he said.
He said the ruling party had learned from the mistakes of the first round, would mobilize more voters for the runoff and was confident of victory.
“We went into the election divided within ourselves. We have now reconciled and closed ranks behind our candidate,” Chinamasa said.
Minister of Information and Publicity Sikhanyiso Ndlovu predicted that Mugabe would win 75 percent in the runoff vote, and his wife, Grace, said the 84-year-old veteran would never cede power to Tsvangirai, the state Herald newspaper reported on Friday.
Many observers fear that Mugabe will use intimidation and violence to steal the election.
Tsvangerai’s “parliament session” was expected to anger Mugabe’s party.
“Healthy democracies have at least two parties and a reformed ZANU-PF should be one of them,” he said.
Tsvangirai said the Movement for Democratic Change should woo “those peaceful members of ZANU-PF whose eyes are open to the disastrous state of our nation.”
He said party lawmakers should immediately begin work on a timetable to rewrite the Constitution and repeal sweeping security and media laws, along with changes needed to restore the economy.
“We are an unmitigated embarrassment to the African continent,” he said.
“Very soon will be the time for celebration, but now is the time to get down to work. It is up to each of us in this room to say Zimbabwe is open for business,” Tsvangirai said.
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