Mugabe Heckled At Zimbabwe Parliament Opening

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was openly jeered by opposition legislators as he formally opened parliament Monday, marking the first time the veteran leader has met outright defiance in parliament since taking power in 1980. Emboldened by Monday’s election of a speaker from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the legislators sang and shouted continuously, nearly derailing Mugabe’s opening speech. The MPs were protesting Mugabe’s unilateral decision to convene parliament in violation of the Memorandum of Understanding governing power sharing talks, which requires that parliament be convened only with the joint consent of Mugabe and opposition leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara. Four MDC legislators have since been detained on accusations of “fomenting violence.”[PE]