Zimbabwe Cabinet Appointments Held Up As Mugabe Consults His Party
ZANU-PF sources said some members argue Mr. Mugabe his negotiating team conceded too much to the former opposition
The power-sharing government set Monday by Zimbabwe's main political parties seems unlikely to take shape as fast as many Zimbabweanswould like it to. President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday put off a crucial meeting with Movement for Democratic Change founder Morgan Tsvangirai and rival MDC leader Arthur Mutambara so he could patch up objections to the agreement from within his ZANU-PF party. The meeting between him and the two leaders of the former opposition partyhad been scheduled so they could discuss the allocation of cabinet posts among the three parties to the power-sharing agreement - ZANU-PF, the MDC formation led by Tsvangirai and the rival MDC formation headed by Arthur Mutambara. Sources said that meeting would be held Wednesday. Those sources said Mr. Mugabe metthe ZANU-PF politiburo Tuesday to try to convince its members to throw their fullsupport behind the deal. He was to meet ZANU-PF’s central committee Wednesday and its national consultative assembly on Thursday. Such consultations have stalleddiscussions of the composition of the government that is to be headed by President Mugabe and led by Tsvangiraias prime minister. Under the agreement, Mr. Mugabe is empowered to name a prime minister, his deputies and the cabineteven before the constitution has been amended. Experts told VOA that South African President Thabo Mbeki, mediator in the power-sharing talks, inserted such a provision because it takes atleast 60 days to change the constitution. All three parties dismissed a document circulating on the Internet purporting to give the names of ZANU-PF and MDC ministerial appointments.