ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe and the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, Morgan Tsvangirai, signed a powersharing deal yesterday that ended the ruling regime's 28-year iron-like grip on power in the southern African country.
It is hoped the deal will pave the way for the billions of euro of foreign investment needed to revive the country's crippled economy.
Following the signing ceremony many potential donors said they would be willing to support the new unity government in principle; however, they would need to see proof that Mr Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party were willing to stick to the deal.
Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai both smiled and shook hands after they signed the agreement in front of about 3,000 people, including dignitaries from Africa and around the world, at a conference centre in Harare's Rainbow Towers Hotel.
The deal, which was mediated by South African president Thabo Mbeki under a South African Development Community (SADC) mandate, comes after almost two months of stop-start powersharing talks and a disputed presidential election. Mr Mugabe, who retains his position as president in the new unity government, said he was "committed" to working with Mr Tsvangirai, who will became Zimbabwe's new prime minister under the settlement.
"Let us be allies," Mr Mugabe said shortly after signing the powersharing accord. "People will want to see if what we promise is indeed what we strive to do ... We are committed, I am committed, let us all be committed."
In his first address as prime minister, Mr Tsvangirai called on all the political parties to work together to "unite" the country.
"I, the prime minister of Zimbabwe, call Zanu-PF and MDC to unite Zimbabwe. Divisions belong to the past," he said.
Mr Tsvangirai added that the doors to international aid needed to be reopened. Before the June presidential run-off, Zanu-PF banned most international aid agencies from operating in the country because the party believed they were supporting the MDC.
"The international aid organisations came to help our country and found our doors locked," Mr Tsvangirai said.
"We need to unlock our doors to aid - we need medicine, food and doctors back in our country. We need electricity, water, petrol for our vehicles, we need to access our cash from banks."
The new powersharing agreement provides for a cabinet with 31 ministers - 16 from the opposition and 15 from Mr Mugabe's party - which reflects broadly how the electorate voted during the March parliamentary elections which saw the MDC secure 110 seats to Zanu-PF's 99.
Mr Mugabe remains Zimbabwe's president and chairman of the cabinet, while Mr Tsvangirai has been appointed the government's vice-chairman. The latter has also been appointed as head of a new council of ministers that will supervise the cabinet's work.
Both men will also be members of the national security council, which includes the army, police and secret service. The council was formally the joint operations committee, the body said to have taken control of Zimbabwe following Zanu-PF's surprise defeat in the March election.
Some opposition supporters believe Mr Tsvangirai should not have ceded so much power to Mr Mugabe because the MDC leader won a majority in the March presidential election before pulling out of the run-off due to violence.
In a letter to his supporters last week MDC senator David Coltart explained that although Mr Tsvangirai "does not have absolute power, he does have substantial power . . . This is undoubtedly historic, but we still have a long and treacherous road to travel."
Mr Mugabe also said there were "lots of things" in the deal that both leaders dislike, but he insisted they would work together to "find our way".
