SANF 08 No 55
Zimbabwe’s Seventh Parliament will convene next week after the Southern African Development Community (SADC) recommended that the House be called into session while negotiations between the ruling ZANU-PF party and the two MDC formations continue.
Regional leaders made the proposal during the just-ended 28th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government held in Johannesburg, South Africa on 16 and 17 August.
In a communiqué of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation which met during the weekend Summit in South Africa, SADC leaders said they “recognised that while negotiations are continuing, it may be necessary to convene Parliament to give effect to the will of the people as expressed in the Parliamentary elections held on 29 March 2008.”
Zimbabwe’s Clerk of Parliament, Austin Zvoma, has said in a statement that the swearing-in ceremony of the parliamentarians will take place on Monday next week, while the official opening of the First Session of the Seventh Parliament will take place on Tuesday.
“The swearing-in ceremony of the Seventh Parliament will take place on Monday, 25 August at Parliament Buildings in Harare,” Zvoma said in a statement.
The official opening of the Seventh Parliament has been deferred since the 29 March harmonised elections to pave way for the successful conclusion of the country’s electoral process, which called for a presidential run-off on 27 June.
Zimbabwe also delayed the opening of Parliament to enable the SADC-brokered talks led by South Africa’s President, Thabo Mbeki — the chief mediator in the inter-party talks — to take their full course.
In the 29 March harmonised elections, the ruling ZANU-PF party won 30 seats in the Upper House representing 45,49 percent of the vote, while MDC-Tsvangirai (MDC-T) faction won 24 seats representing 43,56 percent of the total vote cast and MDC Arthur Mutambara won 6 seats representing 11,54 percent of the vote.
In the Lower House, MDC-T won 100 seats representing 42 percent of the vote and the MDC Mutambara faction, 10 seats representing 8 percent of the vote while the ruling ZANU-PF won 99 seats representing 45 percent of the total votes cast.
Only one independent candidate won a parliamentary seat.
There are 210 seats in the Lower House and 97 seats including the five unelected slots in the Upper House.
The commencement of Parliament business next week is now likely to see the appointment of the five non-elected Senators to the Upper House.
President Mugabe will make the appointments as Head of State. He is also set to open the first session of the new parliament on Tuesday.
At the recent Summit in South Africa SADC leaders “encouraged and appealed to the [Zimbabwe political] parties to sign any outstanding agreements and conclude the negotiations as a matter of urgency to restore political stability in Zimbabwe”.
The SADC-brokered inter-party talks are on the verge of success with the three principals, President Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara in agreement on most aspects of the power-sharing deal.
Tsvangirai has, however, sought some time to reflect and consult on one aspect of the pact before he puts pen to paper on the deal aimed at helping the southern African country address its political and economic challenges.
Meanwhile, Mbeki who assumed the SADC chair on 16 August is expected in Zimbabwe anytime to conclude the deal between ZANU-PF and the two MDC formations.
SADC appointed Mbeki as the sole mediator in the Zimbabwe talks at a Summit in March last year.
