Watch out! May be the season is ripe for a Zimbabwe Spring, just like the Black Spring in Burkina Faso that ousted the country’s long time ruler, Blaise Compaore.
Zimbabwe’s opposition party Saturday announced a plan for “peaceful and constitutional demonstrations” to press long-ruling President Robert Mugabe to accept key reforms.
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by former prime minister Morgan Tsvangiraii demanded reforms in the electoral, media and security sectors.
“The party will embark on peaceful and constitutional demonstrations and other forms of expression around the issues to force the regime of Robert Mugabe to accept the need for reforms,” the MDC said at the close of a party congress.
“Congress noted that the new constitution allows citizens to peacefully demonstrate and petition the state on any grievance,” it said in a statement.
Tsvangirai lost to Mugabe last year but dismissed the polls as a “massive fraud”, accusing the 90-year-old leader of vote-rigging.
The protests “will force the government of Robert Mugabe to the negotiating table and build consensus on the need for a timetable towards a free and fair election and return to legitimacy,” the party said.
On Friday Tsvangirai urged his supporters to confront Mugabe to end the economic woes facing the southern African nation.
“We have to be brave, we have to take action,” he said.
Tsvangirai has in the past threatened to lead street protests to press Mugabe’s government for solutions to the economic crisis in the country, where unemployment is over 80 percent.
At the congress, Tsvangirai was re-elected unopposed for another five-year term as party leader.
Tsvangirai and Mugabe are former partners in a unity government formed in 2009 after disputed and violent polls the previous year.
The violence killed more than 300 MDC supporters, with Tsvangirai blaming Mugabe’s ZANU-PF supporters and state security agencies.
rm/gd