Ruling party suggests joint government

Zimbabwe’s ruling party floated a proposal for a government of national unity led by President Robert Mugabe as a way out of a political crisis that has dragged on for weeks.

The overture, given a prominent place in the state-owned Herald newspaper, could create room for discussion and diplomacy, but the opposition’s leader rejected any role for Mugabe in a coalition administration.

“There is no possibility of a government of national unity,” said Morgan Tsvangirai, head of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

The Herald also reported that the first results from a recount of 23 parliamentary races in March 29 elections confirmed a victory for Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party in a district east of the capital, Harare.

Initial returns showed ZANU-PF losing control of parliament, and the opposition and international critics of the regime fear that the recount is designed to overturn that result. No results have been released for the presidential race, which Tsvangirai is widely believed to have won.