Tsvangirai’s MDC Wins House Speaker Vote

Lovemore Moyo, the chairman of Zimbabwean Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s mainstream Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has been elected speaker of the country’s House of Assembly. Moyo was elected with 110 votes while Paul Themba-Nyathi, the candidate fronted by the splinter MDC group with the backing of Zanu-PF, received 98 votes. The MDC’s victory has dealt a blow to President Robert Mugabe’s attempt to regain control of parliament by crafting an alliance with its breakaway faction led by Arthur Mutambara, with the 12-point margin indication that some legislators from Zanu-PF and MDC-Mutambara voted for Tsvangirai’s candidate. Mugabe is set to face Zimbabwe’s first opposition controlled parliament since independence when he formally opens the House today. [PE]