THE MOVEMENT for Democratic Change (MDC) has said parliament will move ahead with the creation of key commissions charged with reshaping Zimbabwean politics, despite claims the process has been suspended by the parliamentary clerk.
The state-run Sunday Mailreported over the weekend that parliamentary clerk Austin Zvoma, a member of president Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, had suspended the candidate nomination process to allow political parties establish an appointments formula acceptable to all stakeholders.
However, MDC parliamentary speaker Lovemore Moyo dismissed the claim on Monday and said parliament, where his party holds a slender majority, would ensure the process went ahead over the coming weeks.
“The next stage for us is that within two weeks we will be able to tell you when the next interviews are due. Around September 1st we will have the date. We are doing the process of shortlisting the candidates,” said Mr Moyo, who is MDC party chairman.
The candidate nomination process for the make-up of the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) has struggled to advance in recent weeks, with Zanu-PF questioning the selection process after a number of its nominees failed to make the final list.
Mr Mugabe, who has always retained a tight control over the media and used it as a means to reflect the views of Zanu-PF, is supposed to appoint the ZMC from names submitted to him by parliament’s standing orders and rules committee, which Mr Moyo chairs.
Under the terms of February’s powersharing deal between Zanu-PF, the MDC and a breakaway faction, the four commissions and a new constitution have to be created before new elections can take place to replace the current transitional government.
Establishing the independence of the ZMC, the Independent Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (IZEC), the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) is seen as essential to free and fair elections.
The stand-off between Zanu-PF and the MDC is also a sign of the difficulties the rival parties are having in implementing the terms of the powersharing deal, but a consensus on the creation of the four commissions is essential to securing increased donor aid for western governments.
Most European countries and the US have declined to increase direct aid to the coalition government despite recent pleas from MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is also prime minister.