VISITING Britain last week, Zimbabwean prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai painted a glowing picture of his "extraordinary" relationship with erstwhile rival Robert Mugabe.
But at a press conference shortly after his return, Mr Tsvangirai said: "No person is tied up. There is always room for divorce" – fuelling fears that the five-month old power-sharing agreement is near collapse.
The Movement for Democratic Cha
nge (MDC) leader accused individuals and parties of "blocking national progress and international assistance" while he was away, in a clear reference to Mr Mugabe and Zanu-PF.
More than a dozen female protesters were beaten and an MDC MP jailed.
"The greatest challenge Zimbabwe faces is one of old attitudes that refuse to accept the new order," Mr Tsvangirai said. But he stopped short of announcing a definite pull-out.
Hours before Mr Tsvangirai's arrival in Harare, the MDC said it would boycott cabinet meetings to protest at Mr Mugabe's rescheduling of a cabinet meeting he could not attend.
"It's becoming more and more obvious how little goodwill Zanu-PF has," an aide said yesterday. "(Mr Tsvangirai] feels we're the only party living up to the agreement."
Analysts say the prime minister's reluctance to pull out may be pressure from Zimbabweans terrified of a return to violence. 200 MDC supporters were killed in 2008 when Mr Mugabe lost the first round of elections.
