Despite Arrests, Zimbabwe Opposition Elects Speaker

Mugabe's candidate defeated as MDC's Moyo wins close parliamentary vote
By Ambreen Ali,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 25, 2008 3:00 PM CDT
Despite Arrests, Zimbabwe Opposition Elects Speaker
The candidate for speaker from President Robert Mugabe's Zanu (PF) party was defeated, a sign that his 28-year hold on power is becoming more tenuous.   (AP Photo)

Opposition groups in Zimbabwe's parliament today defeated the candidate for speaker put forward by President Robert Mugabe, electing instead a member of the Movement for Democratic Change, the Times of London reports. Though security forces arrested several MDC members ahead of the vote, MDC lawmakers sang anti-Mugabe songs in a parliament speaker Lovemore Moyo said will "cease to be a rubber stamping house."

Zimbabwe has been in political limbo since elections in March, when Mugabe—who, at 84, still holds the bulk of the power—began discussing power-sharing options with the winning MDC and its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai. “Mugabe has forged ahead with convening parliament and this is very unfortunate because, as a party, we had hoped something might come out of the interparty talks,” an MDC spokesman told the New York Times. (More Robert Mugabe stories.)

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