(NEWZIMBABWE) MDC-T MPs to boycott parliament opening
26/08/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

THE MDC-T says its MPs will boycott next Tuesday’s official opening of the seventh parliament, and the party will direct its MPs to abstain from voting for Speaker and Senate President.

Morgan Tsvangirai’s party initially considered asking all its MPs not to take up their posts in parliament, claiming elections had been rigged by President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party.

But the plan was abandoned over fears of a rebellion, and now the party says its newly-elected lawmakers will not be in the chamber when President Mugabe officially opens parliament.

At a recent Zanu PF politburo meeting, Mugabe asked his party to nominate Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission chairman Jacob Mudenda as Speaker of the House of Assembly. The party also resolved to retain Edna Madzongwe as Senate President.

MDC-T spokesman Douglas Mwonzora said: “I don’t think the MDC-T will be able to provide a candidate for the Speaker position as technically we do not have the numbers to win against Zanu PF.

“We will also not support any Zanu PF candidate for the position and what it simply means is that we are not going to vote.

“Attending the official opening ceremony and listening to the speech is tantamount to legitimising the manner Mugabe was elected, yet we know the election was stolen.”
The seventh Parliament will have 270 MPs – including 70 from the MDC-T – and 80 Senators.

The Constitutional Court has dismissed the MDC-T's claims of election fraud, ruling that President Mugabe and his Zanu PF party won the July 31 election freely and fairly.