GOKWE — Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai Saturday said he and President Robert Mugabe had agreed to hold elections next year and whoever lost should not challenge the outcome of the polls.

Tsvangirai told about 5 000 people gathered to celebrate MDC-T’s 11th anniversary that the two leaders had agreed to take advantage of the prevailing peace to hold elections that would put an end to the unity government.

“When I last saw President Mugabe he said the prevailing peace was ideal for us to go for an election and this time we agreed that whoever loses should make way for the winner,” Tsvangirai said.

 Tsvangirai won the first round of the 2008 presidential election but did not garner enough votes to secure an outright victory.He was stopped from running in a run-off poll by an orgy of violence, which the MDC-T blamed on the security forces.

Army generals have in the past vowed that Tsvangirai would never rule this country as long as they were alive.

Yesterday the MDC-T leader said he and Mugabe hoped that peace would hold until elections so as to produce a definite single winner.

He said elections were prescribed by the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) and the African Union as the only way to deal with the Zimbabwe question and his party was keen to follow that directive.

“We are going for an election as Sadc and the AU have said an election is the only way to close this chapter,” the Prime Minister said.

Mugabe has also been on a drive calling for elections next year and is reported to have ordered Finance minister Tendai Biti to budget $200 million for polls set for next year.

Half of that money will be set aside for a referendum on the new constitution whose drafting is expected to be complete by April next year.

The other $100 million will be for holding presidential elections, which are set to be held after the referendum.

On the new constitution, Tsvangirai said he and his party would return to tell the electorate how to vote and if the wishes of the people were not followed they could tell them to oppose it as they had done in 2000.

He said even if the constitution was drafted it would still have to be a negotiated settlement as none of the parties had a two thirds majority and so they could not pass it without compromise.

Already Zanu PF has threatened to campaign for a no vote if their stance on land and homosexuality were not catered for in the draft.
MDC-T chairman Lovemore Moyo weighed in telling the party faithful to prepare for elections as the country was inevitably drawing closer to holding a vote.

“I do not know when elections are but what I can tell you is that stay prepared as we will be going for them soon,” he said.

Tsvangirai and Mugabe have been calling for elections next year despite expert advice that free and fair polls were not possible next year.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has advised that a proper voters’ roll can only be ready in 18 to 24 months making holding of  credible elections next year impossible.

However, the Prime Minister and the president have defiantly said they wanted elections next year as the inclusive government was untenable.

Meanwhile, the co-Minister of Home Affairs Theresa Makone revealed that a junior ranking police officer had written to Tsvangirai ordering him to cancel the party celebrations.

But that order was defied as the MDC-T went ahead with the celebrations without any incidences.

Party supporters from all over the country converged at an open ground at Gokwe Centre for the day-long celebrations.

By The Standard