Zimbabwe/South Africa

Mugabe strikes deal for power-sharing talks

Article published on the 2008-08-13 Latest update 2008-08-13 17:43 TU

Robert Mugabe
(Photo: Reuters)

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has reached a deal with a breakaway faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in power-sharing talks that could lead to the formation of a government. Arthur Mutambara, who heads a splinter group of the opposition movement signed up to the accord on Tuesday.

Main MDC opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai left the negotiations, brokered by South African President Thabo Mbeki, early, amid suggestions that he was being cut out of a deal to end the country's political crisis.

"The talks are adjourned not ended, but I wouldn't say until when. Tsvangirai needs more time to consult on specific matter(s)," Mbeki spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga said. 

He would not say whether the talks would resume before or after the weekend Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit which takes place in Johannesburg.

The main MDC faction has 99 seats in parliament, the Mutambara faction has ten and Mugabe's Zanu-PF has 97.

If reports of a deal between Mugabe and Mutambara are true, Zanu-PF would gain an absolute majority in parliament - which would exclude Tsvangirai from the power-sharing arrangement and could prompt protests from western countries and some African governments for allowing Mugabe to cling on to power.

So far, the three Zimbabwean leaders have said little publicly about the talks, but pressure has been building for the political rivals to resolve the crisis, sparked off after Mugabe's controversial presidential re-election in June.