Like Kibaki and his ruling party [in Kenya], all indications are that Mugabe and his ruling ZANU-PF party lost close national elections that were held on March 29. Yet, like Kibaki, Mugabe refused to concede defeat, which also plunged Zimbabwe into post-election violence….
Therefore, it behooves Opposition Leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to seek a grand compromise for a coalition government based on the Kenya model. And they would do well to heed this advice because all political and legal maneuvers to oust Mugabe are doomed to fail.
[Kenya forms grand coalition: a model for Zimbabwe?, The iPINIONS Journal, April 14, 2008]
This week, after insisting for months he never would, Robert Mugabe begrudgingly agreed to a coalition government (based on the Kenya model) that would allow him to retain his position as president and have Morgan Tsvangirai serve as prime minister.
Now they are engaged in a tug of war to determine how they will divide the 31 government ministries between their respective parties.
Mugabe, of course, is determined to appoint his ZANU-PF cronies to head all of the most powerful ministries. And this has led to reports that negotiations on the composition of their coalition government are already “deadlocked.”
Ultimately, though, I suspect Tsvangirai will make all of the necessary concessions to appease Mugabe’s bruised and humiliated ego. Because he knows that the same international pressure that finally forced Mugabe to concede to rule by coalition will soon pry his iron fist away from the reins of power – one finger at a time.
More important, however, I suspect that Mugabe is just trying vest as much legislative power in the members of his party so that, when he flies his golden parachute into exile, he won’t have to worry too much about Zimbabwean lawmakers chasing after him for the billions he stole from the national treasury during his 30-year reign of terror….
NOTE: Click here to read my latest commentary on the Hurricane Ike relief effort in the Turks and Caicos Islands, which was published today at Caribbean Net News.
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