- Title: Zimbabwe opposition reunites to challenge Mugabe
- Date: 5th August 2017
- Summary: ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** TSVANGIRAI WALKING UP TO AND TAKING MICROPHONE (SOUNDBITE) (English and Shona) LEADER OF MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE PARTY, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, SAYING: "We are gathered here because we listened to your demands. We heard that for everything else to happen in this country all the opposition parties must unite." OPPOSITION LEADER TENDAI BITI SIGNING PACT MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE SUPPORTERS WATCHING (SOUNDBITE) (English) OPPOSITION LEADER, TENDAI BITI, SAYING: "We as members of this alliance are saying that we are creating this narrative, a narrative to give our people hope, a narrative to give our people another chance, a narrative to complete what we started in 1999." MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE SUPPORTERS WATCHING SITTING ON GROUND, WATCHING OPPOSITION LEADER WELSHMAN NCUBE SIGNING PACT (SOUNDBITE (English) OPPOSITION LEADER, WELSHMAN NCUBE, SAYING: "So we know (inaudible), what we have to do is to remove ZANU and Mugabe from power. Anything else is besides the point." OPPOSITION LEADERS WAVING TO CROWD VARIOUS OF POLITICAL ANALYST, EARNEST MUDZENGI, SITTING AT DESK EYES OF MUDZENGI (SOUNDBITE) (English) POLITICAL ANALYST, EARNEST MUDZENGI, SAYING: "What we are realising to a large extent is the reunification of the old MDC that was formed around 1999 to 2000. So we now wait to see what those who say they have now joined hands are going to do. Are they going to be the same old MDC that tended to become fractious? Or they are now going to pull with one purpose?" MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE SUPPORTERS CHEERING
- Embargoed: 19th August 2017 18:32
- Keywords: Zimbabwe main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai Movement for Democratic Change Zimbabwe politics President Robert Mugabe
- Location: HARARE, ZIMBABWE
- City: HARARE, ZIMBABWE
- Country: Zimbabwe
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA0046SVQATJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Saturday (August 5) reunited with his former allies to agree a pre-election pact to challenge President Robert Mugabe's near four-decade hold on power at the polls next year.
Mugabe, 93, has ruled the former British colony since independence in 1980.
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has been the main threat to Mugabe since its formation in 1999 but has been weakened by splits, in 2005 and 2014, mainly over strategy.
On Saturday, Welshman Ncube, who led a break-away MDC faction in 2004 and Tendai Biti, who left the main opposition in 2014, signed a pact that would see them fielding parliamentary candidates in some constituencies under the MDC Alliance banner and would support Tsvangirai's fourth bid for the presidency.
At the pact signing event in Harare, Tsvangirai said all opposition parties must unite. Ncube added the objective was to remove ZANU-PF and Mugabe. "Anything else is besides the point," he added. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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