Mugabe to form Govt without Opposition

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe will form a new government without the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Zimbabwe’s state-owned Herald newspaper has said. In defiant preparation for his new administration, Mugabe has already fired 12 cabinet members who failed to retain their parliamentary seats in last year’s elections. The newspaper also reported that Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has written to inform Mugabe that he was unprepared to assume office as Zimbabwe’s prime minister as agreed in a September 2008 power sharing deal. The power sharing deal was signed by Mugabe and Tsvangirai to end a political and humanitarian crisis that erupted when Mugabe became intransigent following his loss to Tsvangirai in a March 2008 first round vote. [PE]