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Talking about the talks about talks
IRIN News
July 16, 2008

http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=79286

Once the talks between the ZANU-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) begin in earnest they are likely to mirror the current civil society debates on a solution to Zimbabwe's debilitating political and economic crises.

The talks about talks being mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki in Pretoria are draped in a veil of secrecy, although the MDC have made no secret of the fact that they believe Mbeki is not an impartial mediator, and for the talks to have any chance of real success an additional mediator is required.

South Africa's deputy foreign affairs minister, Aziz Pahad, dismissed reports of the MDC's unhappiness about Mbeki as a mediator as a "fake argument", while civil society in Zimbabwe is debating how to extricate the country from its economic and political morass, which has seen the annual inflation rate being measured in millions of percent and the death toll from political violence steadily rising.

A recent gathering of civil society organisations in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city, heard divided opinions, with one camp backing a government of national unity (GNU), while the other favoured a transitional authority as the best way to re-establish the country's democratic credentials.

A transitional authority, also called a transitional government, is used to lower political temperatures and bring about the political space to draft a constitution acceptable to the majority of political parties and members of civil society. It should also create an environment that allows free and fair elections to be held. Transitional governments work to specific timeframes limiting their tenure in office.

A GNU versus a transitional authority
A GNU, on the other hand, is formed by an array of political parties in a power-sharing agreement and usually has no time limit.

Those arguing for a transitional authority envisage writing a new people-driven and democratic constitution, with reform of the electoral laws and depoliticisation of the army and police taking place during the process.

"The point of dispute in this country emanates from a disputed election, which was held in an inconducive environment on June 27," said Rodrick Fayayo, of the Bulawayo Agenda, a Zimbabwean political think-tank.

"There is no way any form of government can address an unresolved electoral process without creating a framework for free and fair elections because, ultimately, Zimbabwe will have to hold elections at some point in time. If that problem is not solved once and for all, it will recur in future and violence will rear its ugly head again, and Zimbabweans will have to go back to the table to form more GNUs," he said.

Another political analyst based in the city, Jethro Mpofu, said a transitional government would be unworkable because the perennial question as to who would lead it would create a political impasse.

"Legally speaking, President Mugabe is the elected leader of the country because he was sworn in according to the laws of the land, whether there was violence or no violence, Tsvangirai pulled out of an election he was supposed to contest, four days before it was held," Mpofu said. "So, in terms of the law, President Mugabe is the leader of the country and therefore a transitional authority will not work in Zimbabwe."

A GNU would be able to side-step this thorny issue by appointing Mugabe as president and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister, Mpofu said.

Mugabe has already insisted that the opposition accept him as the legitimate president before any formal talks can begin - undermining the idea of a transitional arrangement.

"If the talks are working towards creating a situation that will see President Mugabe out of the picture through a transitional authority, then that will not work because President Mugabe will not agree to a situation that eventually sees him cede power to anyone," Mpofu said.

Sindiso Mazibisa, a city lawyer and board member of Zimbabwe Newspaper Group (Zimpapers), said a GNU would pave the way for all political parties in the country to work together to find a solution to the crises.

"A transitional government will not solve the country's problems, because even if there are reforms they will not stop violence taking place, and currently Zimbabweans are avoiding anything that has to do with elections because of the violence associated with elections," he said.

"The MDC will be the worst losers if they want a transitional government to call early elections because people are still traumatised" by the recent political violence, in which more than 100 people have been killed since 29 March, Mazibisa said.

Mugabe here to stay
He said the talks between ZANU-PF and the MDC could not wish away Mugabe from the political scene, because he was still relevant as the "winner" of the second round of presidential elections on 27 June - even though he was the sole candidate.

Tsvangirai, who garnered more votes in the first round but failed to attain an outright win of 50 percent plus one vote, pulled out of the run-off ballot in protest against the political violence.

Liberman Bhebhe, a director of the National Youth Development Trust (NYDT), an international inter-organisational NGO focusing on career path development, told IRIN there was a need for a transitional authority to create a framework for new elections, while simultaneously reforming the security forces and justice system to restore faith in the election processes.

"This country needs a transitional government that will prepare ... [it] for fresh elections, because the problems facing this country all emanate from flawed elections ... the transitional government should be all-inclusive, so that everyone is involved in ... [the] process," Bhebhe said.

The weaknesses of GNUs were that they were concerned with power-sharing rather than addressing the challenges Zimbabwe faced. "The GNU will not solve the country's problems; it will only help politicians to carve power among themselves. Mugabe will become president and Tsvangirai will become prime minister, and that is where it will all end," he commented.

Others at the gathering had little patience with the niceties of what form the political solution should take; they simply wanted a solution to be achieved with the utmost speed.

"We do not care what kind of government we get in this country," Mqhele Ncube told the participants. "What we want now is to have the sanctions removed and get food on the table, so whether the government is led by Tsvangirai or Mugabe we do not care, as long as we get food on the table and peace returns to the country."

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