Movement for Democratic Change spokesman Nelson Chamisa felt that party leader Morgan Tsvangirai had blundered by removing Lucia Matibenga as chair of the Women’s League because her removal was potentially more destabilising than the rupture with the Arthur Mutambara faction.
He believed that it was quite possible for the two factions of the MDC to unite for the 2008 elections and only hoped that the rift with Matibenga could be resolved and the damage repaired.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 07HARARE1107, SADC TALKS STALL, BUT MDC INTENDS TO CONTEST
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|
Reference ID |
Created |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO9795
RR RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #1107 3460942
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 120942Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2224
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 1685
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 1815
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0425
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1092
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1440
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 1871
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4299
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0942
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001107
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S. HILL,
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2013
SUBJECT: SADC TALKS STALL, BUT MDC INTENDS TO CONTEST
ELECTION
REF: HARARE 1004
Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Glenn Warren. Reason: 1.4 (d)
¶1. (C) MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai told the Ambassador
December 11 that MDC negotiators had returned from South
Africa without an agreement. Sticking points are MDC
insistence on:
–implementation of a new constitution before the election;
–reconstitution of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC);
–cleansing of voters’ rolls and delimitation of
parliamentary constituencies under the ZEC;
–an end to intimidation of the opposition and an improved
political atmosphere to allow the MDC to hold meetings and
have access to the media;
–an election date that would give the MDC sufficient time to
prepare for elections;
–international observation of the elections.
¶2. (C) Tsvangirai said negotiations will continue in Harare.
Even if an agreement was not reached, the MDC intended to
contest the elections. Tsvangirai also stated he was
reaching out to the MDC Mutambara faction; he was confident
of a rapprochement that would see the two factions
participating as a coalition in the elections. Finally,
Tsvangirai noted the MDC, despite efforts at fundraising,
SIPDIS
still lacked sufficient resources.
¶3. (C) In a follow-up meeting on December 11, MDC
spokesperson Nelson Chamisa told polecon chief that the MDC
executive would meet on December 15 and the national council
on December 16. He expected both bodies to endorse a
decision to participate in elections, even if they occurred
in March. Acknowledging that the MDC could face an unlevel
playing field, Chamisa said the MDC had no choice. Sitting
out the election would allow ZANU-PF to claim legitimacy–its
perversion of the electoral process would not be exposed–and
the MDC would likely be finished as a party.
¶4. (C) While Chamisa was also confident about an accord with
the Mutambara faction, he was less sanguine about the rift
within the MDC’s Women’s Assembly (Ref). He thought
Tsvangirai and the leadership had blundered in removing Lucia
SIPDIS
Matibenga as chair–her removal was potentially more
destabilizing than the rupture with the Mutambara faction–
but he was cautiously hopeful the damage could be repaired in
this weekend’s meetings.
——-
Comment
——-
¶5. (C) All signs now point to March elections. Despite the
deteriorating economy and wide-spread disenchantment with
ZANU-PF, the MDC faces an uphill struggle. It has not yet
healed its internal divisions and has not yet begun to
seriously campaign. It is under-resourced. And the
political atmosphere remains largely unchanged. Whether or
not there is a SADC agreement, crucial to MDC chances is the
creation of democratic space, a development of which we see
no signs.
MCGEE
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