Has Mugabe Passed His 'Sell-By' Date?

Mugabe had a reality check not that long ago when parliament voted (again) for the position of speaker of the house and it was won (again) by Lovemore Moyo of the MDC, and what it all came down to was that at least four of the ZANU PF MPs voted for the winning candidate. Mugabe's people have vowed to ferret out those of their number that voted for the MDC candidate.

I am not so sure that this vow has gone down very well with ZANU PF as a whole, as there is a story on the internet that MDC and ZANU PF are talking in private to come up with a non-violent, legal way to remove Mugabe.

Hmmm.

mugabe makes a point vAIhY 16744

"Parliamentarians from both the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and ZANU PF are believed to be investigating the scope for legally removing President Robert Mugabe from power, including the possibility of impeaching him.

The daring moves are being contemplated in the light of the dramatic defeat of ZANU PF’s candidate in the recent speaker of parliament elections. Then, it was generally accepted that some ZANU PF MPs voted with their MDC counterparts to vote back Lovemore Moyo and to embarrass ZANU PF’s chairman, Simon Khaya-Moyo.

The Daily News learnt last night that the parliamentarians, who are fed up with Mugabe’s contested leadership of the country, were looking into the question of whether the president’s advanced age and failing health could be successfully used by the legislators "to retire Mugabe out of office".

Were that to happen, our sources claimed, Mugabe would be replaced by vice-president Joice Mujuru in the short term - as she supposedly enjoyed support from both MDC and ZANU PF MPs in parliament.

This unlikely eventuality would see the more hawkish faction in ZANU PF that is allegedly aligned to Emmerson Mnanganga being frozen out of power.

While Mugabe seemingly has the power to dissolve parliament and to circumvent any moves to impeach him under the current laws, the concerned legislators and analysts canvassed by the Daily News believe that the Global Political Agreement (GPA) has created possible legal loopholes that can be used to remove the president.

The analysts said even under the old constitutional dispensation, the president could be impeached, as long as there was a two-thirds majority supporting such a move. The Daily News has been told that the plan, which is allegedly being discussed by MPs from both factions of the MDC as well as ZANU PF, has gathered pace ever since it was reported that Mugabe’s health is deteriorating."

Mugabe will view this with concern and the ZANU PF witch hunt will begin - not only to discover who among their number voted for Lovemore Moyo, but who is talking to the MDC with a view to removing Mugabe.

And should they smoke out those that want change, it won't be just a case of chucking them out of the party. In the past 31 years, we have seen numerous outspoken members of Mugabe party meet their fate in unexplained car 'accidents', while one was found floating in a swimming pool. Mugabe has a habit of burying his critics and non-performing members of his party.

And then he seeks to pacify the families by declaring them national heroes, give the deceased a glossy State funeral, but the family is soon forgotten and fall on hard times. It is the way that Mugabe operates...

"Political analyst Ibbo Mandaza said an impeachment was possible, with or without the new constitution.

"It’s possible and it’s a question of proving that Mugabe is now incapacitated while he has also to prove that he is able to lead this country. But it can be done, especially in view of reports about his health and as long as two thirds of the MPs agree. Remember it will be a secret vote and it might turn out to be nasty for Mugabe," he said."

The constitution of Zimbabwe states: "Section(29) of the constitution of Zimbabwe makes provision for the termination of the tenure of the office of the president stating that; "The president shall cease to hold political office if a report prepared by a joint committee of the senate and house of assembly appointed by the speaker in consultation with the president of the senate upon the request of not fewer than a third of the members of the house of assembly has recommended the removal of the president on the grounds that:

(a) He has acted in willful violation of this constitution or

(b) He is incapable of performing the functions of his office by reason of physical or mental incapacity or

(c) Gross misconduct and senators and members of the house assembly sitting together have resolved by the affirmative votes of not less than two-thirds of their total number that the president should be removed from office."

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man