Members of Parliament from the Arthur Mutambara faction of the Movement for Democratic Change were ready to ditch their candidate for Speaker of Parliament Paul Themba Nyathi more than a week before the elections because their leader had become too close to the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.
This was disclosed by one of the MPs Abednico Bhebhe who said that two MPs from the party would nominate Nyathi, but seven other legislators would support the Morgan Tsvangirai faction candidate.
Jameson Timba of the Tsvangirai faction said he had great respect for Nyathi but support for him would create a dependence by MDC-T on the other MDC faction, whose leader, Arthur Mutambara, had become increasingly close to ZANU-PF.
The United States embassy also felt that Mutambara had become too close to ZANU-PF especially after an article in the Herald in which he had allegedly said told the West to go to hell.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 08HARARE711, PARLIAMENT AND THE ELECTION OF A SPEAKER
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Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO5842
OO RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0711/01 2341510
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 211510Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3320
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2219
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2340
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0870
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1617
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1973
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2394
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4826
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1489
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000711
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR G. GARLAND
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: 04/02/2018
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT AND THE ELECTION OF A SPEAKER
Classified By: DCM Katherine Dhanani for reason 1.4 (d)
——-
SUMMARY
——-
¶1. (C) President Robert Mugabe announced that members of
Parliament will be sworn in August 25. The election of the
House Speaker will follow. The official opening of
Parliament, presided over by Mugabe, will take place the next
day. MDC Tsvangirai (MDC-T) will take part in the swearing
in and election, but will boycott the ceremonial opening.
According to close Tsvangirai advisor Jamison Timba, MDC-T
considers the election of an MDC-T speaker critical to
demonstrate to SADC that it holds the balance of power in
Parliament and to strengthen its negotiating position. END
SUMMARY.
¶2. (C) Mugabe announced August 20 that members of Parliament
will be sworn in August 25, followed by the elections of the
speaker and deputy speaker. The ceremonial opening of
Parliament will take place on August 26. According to Timba,
MDC-T will attend the August 25 session. It will boycott the
August 26 opening because it considers the actual convening
of Parliament a breach of the Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) between ZANU-PF and the MDC which is the basis for
current negotiations, and because it feels that attendance
would represent recognition of Mugabe.
¶3. (C) According to Timba, who is also an MP-elect, the vote
for speaker will be by secret ballot. He is relatively
confident MDC-T will be able to hold its MPs in line for the
election, although there may be two or three who cannot be
present. (Note: ZANU-PF has 99 elected MPs, MDC-T has 100,
MDC Mutambara (MDC-M) has 10, and there is one independent
(Jonathan Moyo) who will probably align with ZANU-PF on the
vote. 106 votes will be necessary to elect the speaker. End
note.) Timba told us MDC-T has not yet decided who it will
nominate. Party chairman Lovemore Moyo from Bulawayo is a
possibility, but if elected he would have to give up his
parliamentary seat; Timba and MDC are afraid ZANU-PF would
win the seat through intimidation in a by-election.
¶4. (C) Timba, and separately MDC-M MP Abednico Bhebhe, told
us that MDC-M would nominate Paul Themba Nyathi, an Ndebele
from Bulawayo. Timba expressed respect for Nyathi, but
believed support for him would create a dependence by MDC-T
on the other MDC faction, whose leader, Arthur Mutambara, has
become increasingly close to ZANU-PF. Bhebhe acknowledged
the same point. He said two of the MDC-M MPs would nominate
Nyathi, but he believed he and seven others would support the
Tsvangirai candidate.
¶5. (C) Turning to negotiations, Timba said Tsvangirai would
hold the line on concessions to Mugabe. If MDC-T was
successful in winning the speakership, he believed it would
send a strong message about MDC-T’s strength to SADC which
might result in additional pressure on Mugabe. MDC now had
little faith in Mbeki and SADC but would continue to talk if
called to the table. (Note: Timba believed South African
president Thabo Mbeki and King Mswati of Swaziland will
travel to Harare in the next couple of days. End note.) But
Timba warned that MDC’s willingness to talk might change if
Mugabe appointed a cabinet, which MDC-T would view as a clear
violation of the MOU and a provocation.
¶6. (C) With little faith in SADC, Timba said MDC-T will
focus more on the AU where it believes it will have a more
sympathetic ear. (Note: We understand Tsvangirai has been
in Kenya the last couple of days, presumably meeting with
Raila Odinga. End note.) Echoing comments made by
Tsvangirai in public and private, Timba said MDC-T would not
HARARE 00000711 002 OF 002
sign a deal just to be done with it. Instead, MDC-T will
oppose ZANU-PF in Parliament, and leave it the increasingly
impossible task of running the government.
——-
COMMENT
——-
¶7. (C) Mutambara and Welshman Ncube have taken the position
that the August 17 SADC Summit Communique, signed by all SADC
countries, including Zambia and Botswana, supports a
power-sharing agreement in which executive power would be
shared by Mugabe and Tsvangirai. The Communique states that
based on Mbeki’s work there is a good basis for a global
agreement, and urges all parties to sign any outstanding
agreements and to conclude the negotiations as a matter of
urgency. Therefore, they argue, Tsvangirai does not have any
SADC support for his proposal that would make him an
executive prime minister and Mugabe a ceremonial president.
¶8. (C) While Ncube has been analytic in discussing
Tsvangirai’s position in the negotiations, Mutambara has
lashed out at Tsvangirai and the West and become closer to
ZANU-PF. Today’s The Herald features a bottom of the fold
headline on the first page, “Go to hell, Mutambara tells
West,” and quotes an Australian interview in which Mutambara
railed against the West, calling it “collectively stupid.”
He has told us, in a contemptuous tone, that Tsvangirai was a
poor leader and was solely responsible for the failure to
conclude an agreement at the SADC Summit. And he appeared
with Mugage at Heroes Day and received Mugabe’s praise. It
appears that Mutambara is anxious for a power-sharing deal
that would give his faction ministerial positions and
possibly a deputy prime minister position for himself. He is
not concerned whether Mugabe remains in power or how this
would affect relations with the West. Many in his party are
suspicious, however, of his self-ingratiation with ZANU-PF,
and it would not be surprising to see a change of leadership
of his faction.
¶9. (C) Tsvangirai continues to hold the line, but he is
subject to increasing pressures from ZANU-PF and its media,
Mutambara, and SADC. The election next week of the House
speaker will be important in determining his strength and
support, and his ability to maintain a firm position.
MCGEE
(25 VIEWS)
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