New speaker of parliament is from Tsvangirai MDC
By Tichaona Sibanda 25 August 2008
The national chairman of the MDC-Tsvangirai, Lovemore Moyo, was on
Monday elected the new speaker of parliament, making him the first
non-Zanu PF speaker since Independence. Moyo is a 43 year-old former
liberation war hero and his landmark victory gives the MDC control of
one of the most powerful posts in the country. As MP for Matobo in
Matabeleland South, Moyo took 110 votes against 98 for Paul Themba
Nyathi, the only other candidate, who was fielded by the Mutambara MDC.
Zanu-PF did not put up it's own candidate and backed Nyathi. When it
was announced that Moyo had won after secret balloting, it sparked
joyful scenes among MDC MPs in parliament, who sang and cheered 'Zanu
is rotten.' Party leader Morgan Tsvangirai phoned Moyo upon hearing
news of his election to congratulate him, according to his spokesman
George Sibot****we.
In his acceptance speech the new speaker said parliament would 'cease
to be a rubber stamping house. It'll ensure that progressive laws are
passed.' Parliamentary business had started in the morning with the
swearing-in ceremony of the legislators. MDC members sat on the side
usually occupied by ZANU-PF, heckling members of the party by shouting:
'You sit on that side. You are now in the opposition.' MDC MP for Mbare
in Harare, Piniel Denga, told Newsreel ZANU-PF legislators looked
subdued and were in a sombre mood.
'It was clear to them power was slowly ****fting because few of them
spoke, most looked down and many were pale-faced,' Denga said. There
are strong suspicions that four ZANU-PF MPs voted for Moyo in the
secret ballot. MDC Tsvangirai has 100 MPs, 99 were present for the
vote. Zanu-PF has 99, Mutambara's faction has 10 seats and there is one
independent.
An MDC insider told Newsreel that voting went according to plan as they
expected five MPs from ZANU-PF to vote for them. The insider said votes
from the Mutambara camp were assured late last week following a
'constructive meeting' they held with the respective MPs from the
Matebeleland region. 'We were assured of the 7 votes from the Mutambara
faction, but we also knew we would not have sup****t from three of their
MPs,' said the insider. The voting pattern reveals growing divisions in
the Mutambara camp, after their MPs dumped their party candidate Nyathi
to vote for Moyo.
Earlier the MDC's position had looked precarious when two of its MPs
were detained by police on arrival at parliament, in what the party
described as 'ZANU-PF's sinister agenda' to rig the parliamentary vote
in it's favour. The two - Shuwa Mudiwa, MP for Mutare West and Eliah
Jembere, MP for Epworth - were later released, but only one returned to
vote. Moyo's election strengthens Tsvangirai's hand in stalled
negotiations with Robert Mugabe on the formation of a government of
national unity. He is one of the negotiators at the power-sharing talks
between ZANU-PF and the two MDC's. The married father of three was born
on 29th January 1965 in Muthe village, Matobo
His political activism dates back to 1977 when he joined the liberation
struggle under ZAPU's military wing and was based in Zambia. He joined
the MDC at its formation in 1999 and was elected MP for Matobo in 2000
and re-elected in 2005. He won again during the harmonized elections
held in March.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
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