Zimbabwe Parties Deadlocked over Coalition Cabinet

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s ruling Zanu-PF and Prime Minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have hit a deadlock over the allocation of certain ministries between the parties. Sources say the two sides are involved in a tussle over the ministries of finance, home affairs, local government, foreign affairs, justice and information. There are however plans to have six negotiators – two each from Zanu-PF, MDC and its breakaway faction led by Arthur Mutambara – to meet and discuss how to share the ministries agreeably. Mugabe and Tsvangirai signed a power sharing accord Monday to resolve a political crisis that followed Mugabe’s controversial reelection in a one-man runoff after losing the first round ballot to Tsvangirai. The accord gives Zanu-PF 15 cabinet positions, Tsvangirai’s mainstream MDC gets 13 while Mutambara’s splinter faction gets three.[PE]