Thaindian News

London, Aug 26 (ANI): A MP from Morgan Tsvangirais Movement for Democratic Change was elected as Speaker of Parliament, giving a major blow to Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabes attempts to hold on to power.

In a stunning upset Lovemore Moyo, chairman of Tsvangirais MDC faction, defeated Paul Themba Nyathi, of the smaller MDC grouping led by Arthur Mutambara, by 110 votes to 98.

Mugabes Zanu-PF party did not put up a candidate itself, instead ordering its newly sworn-in MPs to support the Mutambara factions man. Mugabe will undoubtedly have been infuriated by the result, The Telegraph reported.

The indications are that Mugabe had been hoping to engineer a deal with Mutambaras faction to exclude Tsvangirai from a government of national unity, and that enough of its MPs would support the government in parliament to enable it to function.

In Zimbabwean politics the speakership is a powerful role, with the ability to determine parliaments agenda, and the octogenarian leader now faces the prospect of having to deal with a lower house fully controlled by his opponents if he decides to abandon the deadlocked negotiations being brokered by the South African president Thabo Mbeki and form a government of his own.

Whatever game plan Mugabe had has been complicated and this greatly diminishes his capacity to form a cabinet and govern, said Eldred Masunungure, professor of politics at the University of Zimbabwe.

Mugabe is seriously weakened and he and Zanu-PF will have to take the negotiations more seriously, he added.

In the parliamentary poll earlier this year, Tsvangirais MDC took 100 seats, Mutambaras 10, and Zanu-PF 99, with one independent.

It was the first time Zanu-PF had lost its majority since independence in 1980. (ANI)