Zimbabwe opposition wins vote for speaker of Parliament

[struggle4progress]

Source: Reuters

Published: August 25, 2008

HARARE, Zimbabwe: The main opposition party won the vote for speaker of Parliament on Monday, dealing a blow to President Robert Mugabe in a post-election power struggle.

The clerk of Parliament, Austin Zvoma, said Lovemore Moyo of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change had received 110 votes, giving him one of the most powerful positions in Zimbabwean politics at a time of growing doubt over power-sharing talks.

Negotiations between Mugabe's governing ZANU-PF and Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change are deadlocked over what the opposition says is Mugabe's refusal to give up power after 28 years in office.

The arrest of two opposition members of Parliament before the swearing-in ceremony on Monday and Mugabe's unilateral appointment of senators were branded a further threat to talks by the opposition ...

Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/25/africa/zimbabwe.php