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Election date remains sticking point between Zanu-PF and MDC
Tichaona Sibanda, SW Radio Africa
January 02, 2008

http://allafrica.com/stories/200801021173.html

Negotiators from Zanu-PF and the MDC involved in the mediated talks, are expected to meet in Pretoria soon to try to settle their differences over the election date.

Robert Mugabe has said elections will go ahead as scheduled in March, while the opposition insists the date for the polls should be considered only after all resolutions agreed to at the talks have been fully implemented.

The talks have failed to make progress on resolving this stalemate and a meeting between President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and the negotiators is being planned for next week.

All the officials involved in the search for a solution to the Zimbabwe crisis, whether representing the negotiating teams or the mediators, have remained tight-lipped over the precise issues under discussion.

But Professor Elphas Mukonoweshuro, the MDC secretary for International Affairs, said on Wednesday the opposition would never give in to Zanu-PF's demand that elections be held in March. The regime is adamant elections will go ahead in March'even if the opposition is not prepared.'

'It is inconceivable that elections should go ahead in March. This is the major sticking point yet to be resolved at the talks. We also need to monitor the other reforms to see if they are being implemented fully. There is little time between now and March to do all this, unless if Mugabe wants another disputed election,' Mukonoweshuro said.

He reiterated that the MDC still wants the regional bloc SADC to oversee the remaining process of thrashing out a deal, as the negotiating parties have failed to resolve differences particularly over the election date and the implementation of some of the agreements.

While the negotiating teams have reached agreement on many of the issues, several remain undecided. Chief among them, according to the MDC, is the introduction of a new constitution before the elections. Zanu-PF insists the constitution will only be implemented after the elections.

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