Zimbabwe’s main opposition party would not take part in a transitional government should President Robert Mugabe give up power, its leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Tuesday.
Any interim arrangement after Mugabe had to follow constitutional provisions where an acting president is appointed and elections are held within three months, Tsvangirai, who heads the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), told Harare-based diplomats from the G8 industrialised countries.
Speculation that the 79-year-old Mugabe might leave office before his current term expires in 2008 was fanned last week when Mugabe urged his party supporters to openly debate his succession.
He also hinted in an interview last month that he was ”getting to a stage” where retirement might be possible.
Tsvangirai — whose party has refused to accept the outcome of last year’s presidential polls which retained Mugabe in office – said it would legitimise Mugabe’s government should the MDC align itself to the ruling party, Zanu-PF.
”We will neither be party to a dubious process that seeks to expand and sanitise Zanu-PF’s illegitimate rule nor will we accept a secondary role in any so-called transitional arrangement,” Tsvangirai told the G8 diplomats. He said that if a president leaves office in Zimbabwe, the Constitution provides for an acting president ”logically from the ruling party” to take over and for elections to be held within 90 days to choose a substantive leader.
”We have not sought and never will seek to be accommodated by anybody outside our democratic entitlement, the rule of law and indeed the Constitution,” Tsvangirai said.
”The issue of constitutional amendment to enable the formation of a so-called transitional government therefore does not arise,” he added.
Tsvangirai, who has called for anti-government street protests next week, repeated in his statement that ”serious and sincere dialogue” was the only way to end Zimbabwe’s political and economic crises.
”The only way to resolve the current crisis and salvage what remains of the nation is through a process of serious and sincere dialogue between the MDC and Zanu-PF,” he said. – Sapa-AFP