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New furor in Zimbabwe unity government as President Mugabe unilaterally
names judges
Blessing
Zulu & Mark Peter Nthambe, VOA News
May
20, 2010
http://www1.voanews.com/zimbabwe/news/politics/Zimbabwe-Mugabe-Unilaterally-Names-Judges-94521164.html
President Mugabe swore
in former High Court Judge President Rita Makarau as a Supreme Court
justice, replacing her as top High Court justice with George Chiweshe,
former chairman of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
The uneasy partners in
Zimbabwe's national unity government have one more issue to divide
them: President Robert Mugabe's appointment this week of a new Supreme
Court judge and four High Court judges without consultation with
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, to which his Movement for Democratic
Change immediately objected.
President Mugabe swore
in former High Court Judge President Rita Makarau as a Supreme Court
justice, replacing her as top High Court justice with George Chiweshe,
former chairman of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
Chiweshe was in charge
of counting ballots and compiling results in the controversial 2008
elections when his panel was criticized for its delay of more than
a month in announcing the outcome of the presidential race (it declared
that opposition leader Tsvangirai had failed to receive a majority
of votes and said a runoff would be required).
Sworn in with
Chiweshe were Nicholas Mathonsi, Andrew Mutema and Garainesu Mawadze.
ZANU-PF sources responded that there was no need for Mr. Mugabe
consult Mr. Tsvangirai or Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara,
the third principal in the government established under the September
2008 Global Political
Agreement, as constitutionally the president is only allowed
to consult with the Judicial Service Commission.
Spokesman Nelson Chamisa
of the Tsvangirai MDC formation said the party was dismayed by the
new appointments. ZANU-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo said President
Mugabe has the right to name judges. Elsewhere in politics, VOA
Studio 7 correspondent Mark Peter Ntambe reported that opposition
Mavambo party leader Simba Makoni, a former presidential candidate,
said the unity government is neither united nor inclusive and is
not serving the Zimbabwean people, concluding that its failure to
function properly obliges early elections
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