Date:26/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/26/stories/2008082655691500.htm

International

MDC candidate elected Zimbabwe Speaker

— Photo: AFP

Lovemore Moyo taking the oath in Harare on Monday.

HARARE: Zimbabwe’s opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), on Monday won the vote for Speaker of the first Parliament since disputed elections in March, a victory amid stalled talks over sharing power with President Robert Mugabe.

The MDC’s Lovemore Moyo won the key position by 110 votes to 98. Mr. Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party had been expected to win the vote but did not put up a candidate. Instead, Mr. Moyo ran against a leader from a splinter opposition faction, Themba Nyathi. ZANU-PF legislator Walter Mzemdi said the party decided not to nominate a candidate because “the figures were against us.”

But the distribution of votes in the secret ballot showed Mr. Moyo got votes from both Mugabe’s party and the breakaway splinter faction.

In the March 29 election, the MDC won more seats than Mr. Mugabe’s party. Mugabe is to officially open Parliament on Tuesday, and Mr. Tsvangirai has criticised this, given the deadlock in power-sharing. — AP