Zimbabwe Rivals Fight to Control Parliament

Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party and two factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) are all expected to put forward candidates for election as parliamentary speaker, signaling a tussle that may complicate talks to resolve the country’s political crisis. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s mainstream
MDC faction has nominated its national chairman, Lovemore Moyo, Arthur Mutambara’s much smaller splinter faction has presented Paul Themba Nyathi while President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF is expected to propose its chairman, John Nkomo, for the position. Mugabe plans to open parliament on Tuesday despite protests from Tsvangirai's party, which has warned that the move could scuttle negotiations towards the formation of a unity government. Meanwhile, Zimbabwean police have detained two legislators from Tsvangirai’s MDC faction but have no yet stated the reasons for their arrest. [PE]