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Talks, dialogue, negotiations and GNU - Post June 2008 "elections" - Index of articles
SAfrican
unions want Mugabe out of summit if no deal reached
Agence
France-Presse (AFP)
August 10, 2008
http://www.citizen.co.za/index/article.aspx?pDesc=73725,1,22
Zimbabwe President
Robert Mugabe should be barred from an upcoming regional summit
if power-sharing talks in his country fail, the head of South Africa's
main trade union confederation said Sunday.
"If the
current talks fail to reach any settlement, Mugabe should be banned
from attending any summits or meetings as president of Zimbabwe,"
Zwelinzima Vavi told a gathering of unions from the region.
"He is
not regarded as president of Zimbabwe until the political situation
in his country is resolved."
Vavi's COSATU
confederation is a junior member of President Thabo Mbeki's governing
coalition.
Zimbabwe's political
rivals are locked in power-sharing talks with Mbeki, the mediator
for the negotiations, in a bid to end the country's longstanding
crisis.
Southern African
leaders are scheduled to hold a summit in Johannesburg next weekend.
Zimbabwe opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai is himself a former trade union leader.
Sunday's conference
attended by union representatives from Zimbabwe, Botswana and Malawi
also denounced parliamentary elections planned for September 19
in Swaziland, the continent's last absolute monarchy.
"Democratic
elections have never been held in that country, and that makes a
mockery of their so-called democracy," said Vavi.
Parliamentary
elections are held every five years in Swaziland, after which the
king appoints a prime minister.
More than a
third of the parliament's 85 members are handpicked by the king,
who makes all government appointments.
Swaziland's
constitution, re-written in 2006, allows for freedom of association
but people can only stand for elections as individuals.
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