Zimbabwe’s opposition gave the government one month to return to talks on the country’s spiralling political and economic crisis, threatening mass demonstrations if the discussions did not resume.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Sunday he and the party leadership were losing patience.
”We cannot be held to ransom for too long. If [the ruling party] are not prepared to take advantage of this opportunity, we may have to close the window and move ahead with other options,” Tsvangirai told supporters at a campaign rally in the town of Gweru in central Zimbabwe ahead of nationwide local elections next week.
Zimbabwe’s battered economy has led to intensified demands for President Robert Mugabe to retire and increased pressure on the two parties to resolve their differences.
The country is suffering record inflation of 400% and soaring unemployment. There are acute shortages of local currency, hard currency, food, gasoline, medicine and other imports.
Tensions have been running high between the government and the opposition especially since last year’s presidential elections.
The opposition has refused to recognise Mugabe’s victory in the vote, saying the elections were rigged and swayed by political violence.
Initial talks between the sides following the elections collapsed and new talks must deal with democratic governance, the need to restore free and fair elections and the restoration of political liberties and law and order, opposition officials say.
Ruling party officials failed to show up for a meeting with church mediators last week and have not submitted their responses to proposals on national dialogue that the opposition gave mediators earlier this month.
Mugabe himself recently dashed hopes of an early compromise with the opposition.
He called on his opponents to ”repent and re-orientate themselves” before national political dialogue could resume, saying ”there cannot be unity with enemies of the people”.
Strikes and anti-government protests called by the opposition and its allies in the main labour federation to protest the political and economic chaos have shut down the economy twice this year.
Recent street protests were dispersed before they could start by a massive show of force by police, troops and ruling party militants backed by armoured cars and helicopter gunships. — Sapa-AP