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Talks, dialogue, negotiations and GNU - Post June 2008 "elections" - Index of articles
Zimbabwe
parliament adjourns after cash shortage
The Daily Nation
October 24, 2008
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/-/1066/483470/-/1489mltz/-/
Zimbabwe's parliament
has been forced to adjourn until November 11, after running out
of money to sustain its operations as delays in setting up an inclusive
government continues to paralyse national institutions.
The assembly only started
sitting early this month, six months after the March elections due
to the political impasse blamed on President Robert Mugabe's controversial
re-election.
The suspension of parliament
was announced by the acting leader of the House, Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa
of the ruling Zanu PF after the feuding parties came together to
support a motion to declare the gripping food shortages in the country
a national disaster.
"Because of the
constraints relating to the non-existence of the inclusive government,
the House will not be sitting for a while," he said. "In
the event measures are put in place, we may be able to call for
the sitting of the House at a much earlier date." Parliamentarians
were told that the government had run out of money to pay for their
accommodation and allowances during their sessions.
Talks to conclude the
setting up of the power sharing agreement between the ruling party
and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction
reach a critical phase on Monday when regional leaders visit Harare.
The Southern African
Development Community (SADC) troika on security will try to persuade,
Mr Mugabe and his rivals Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and Professor Arthur
Mutambara to finalise the allocation of cabinet posts.
The setting
up of the inclusive government has been in the works since September
15, when the three leaders signed
an historic power sharing pact to end Zimbabwe's decade old political
and economic crisis.
Parliament is expected
to approve a constitution amendment giving force to the power sharing
arrangement and disruption of its settings might further delay the
process.
Compared to other law
makers in the region, Zimbabwean legislators are poorly paid with
their monthly salaries averaging less than US$5 (about Sh400).
They also complain that
they had been informed that the government currently had no money
to buy vehicles for the 210 House of Assembly members and 96 senators.
Zimbabwe's worsening
economic crisis and the threat of a major food crisis has injected
urgency to the process of establishing a new government.
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