ZIMBABWE'S DEAL on power-sharing appeared near collapse yesterday after the opposition party rejected a compromise deal put forward at a regional summit calling for a key ministry to be shared by the rival parties.
Following the refusal by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to sign up to the South African Development Community recommendation on Sunday, President Robert Mugabe said a new government would be formed "as quickly as possible" despite his rival's rejection of the compromise.
"We will try to constitute it [the new government] as quickly as possible," Mr Mugabe told state television yesterday.
Mr Mugabe (84), who has ruled since 1980, had already unilaterally appointed key ministries to his own ruling Zanu-PF party last month before agreeing to attend the weekend's emergency summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the regional leaders tabled their compromise solution.
The SADC wanted the MDC to share the powerful home affairs ministry, which controls the police, with Zanu-PF even though the latter also got control of the military through its retention of the ministry of defence.
Although Mr Mugabe agreed to the deal, Mr Tsvangirai rejected it, saying it was unworkable. The MDC insists if Zanu-PF gets defence then it should get home affairs, to ensure a balance between the groups.
"This issue of co-sharing does not work," Mr Tsvangirai said. "We have said so ourselves, we have rejected it and that's the position. There is no agreement to co-sharing, to rotation, to swapping of ministries."
Mr Tsvangirai added that the power-sharing deal, signed on September 15th, was about more than just home affairs, and that by committing to the process, the MDC had already compromised given they won the parliamentary election in March.
"It [the deal] is about power-sharing, it is about equitable power-sharing, it is about giving the responsibility to the party that won an election and has compromised its position to share a government with a party that lost."
Mr Mugabe said yesterday he hoped the MDC would change its mind and join the new government. It is believed the MDC may appeal to the African Union and the United Nations to support its case.
Hopes had been high that the power-sharing deal would bring an end to the political crisis gripping the country since last March's disputed general election and pave the way for efforts to revive the crippled economy.
Up to five million Zimbabweans face starvation in coming months due to the economic collapse of the country.