Stalemate over timing of election

Clashes between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai over the timing of the next election intensified this week, with the two leaders digging in on their positions, threatening the survival of the current coalition government.

The battle over the election date could seal the fate of the three-year-old unity government, which has been rocked by escalating power struggles.

While Mugabe insisted this week elections would be held this year with or without a new constitution, Tsvangirai said the timing of the polls would be determined by political processes, not any individual's unilateral decision.

In terms of the Global Political Agreement (GPA), which forms the basis of the government involving three parties, elections would come after a new constitution has been produced.

The three parties are now drafting a new constitution but the exercise is characterised by disputes and infighting, mainly sparked by attempts to bar Mugabe from standing for re-election.

Mugabe this week described those trying to block him from contesting the next elections "cowards".

Asked in state media interviews to mark his 88th birthday, about plots to bar him from standing, Mugabe said: "Cowards, cowards, cowards! Why are they afraid of me? Why should they ban anyone at all?"

Mugabe said Tsvangirai and his other rivals did not want him to stand because he is the only one who can win elections for Zanu-PF and were thus afraid of him.

Mugabe said he was unilaterally taking the country to elections this year with or without a new constitution.

"Yes, sure; this year! We just must have elections. They just must take place with or without a new constitution. And we will, on our side as a party, we have made a decision, last year at our conference that this year we will definitely have an election exercise," he said. "If others don't want to have an election then they are free not to participate. Nobody is forced to go to an election but definitely I will exercise my presidential powers in accordance with the main principal law, the constitution of our country and announce when the election will take place. And I will do this."

However, Tsvangirai, in a clear rebuttal of Mugabe's remarks, said the date of elections would be determined by the Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (Copac) and the constitution-making process.

"The date of the next election remains process-driven. As principals, we are now seized with the constitution-making process and we have asked the Copac management committee to furnish us with a trajectory of how they expect the process to pan out so that we can begin to have an idea of when we can hold the next election," Tsvangirai told journalists.

"I am very clear on the process, that apart from the constitution, we have to institute the key reforms that we have agreed upon. These include among others media reforms, the ZEC (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) secretariat, a new voters' roll, non-violence and other key steps necessary to ensure a free, fair and credible poll."

Tsvangirai said he wanted elections as soon as possible provided "we first implement the necessary reforms".

"The way forward is a free and fair election, but only predicated by a process which includes a new constitution and the implementation of those reforms that will result in a credible poll," he said.

Mugabe said he was not afraid of elections and wanted the polls "like yesterday".

"No! We want elections, we wanted them yesterday, we want them today, we want them any day, but others are saying no, no, no, we can't have elections," he said. "First, they were saying 2012, now they are saying in 2013. But perhaps when we get much further without elections they will say no elections at all; let us remain in power without elections."