The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has cut all contact with President Robert Mugabe, stopped attending cabinet and will not “sit with in meetings with an unreliable and repentant partner”.

MDC leader and Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told journalists after a meeting of his party’s national executive that he will also not attend policy development Monday meetings with Mugabe.

The disengagement effectively means a constitutional crisis in Zimbabwe.

“However, it is our right to disengage from a dishonest and unreliable partner. In this regard, whilst being government, we shall forthwith disengage from Zanu PF and in particular from Cabinet and the Council of Ministers until such time as confidence and respect is restored amongst us,” Tsvangirai said.

Tsvangirai demanded a resolution of the outstanding issues that include the appointment of central bank governor, Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana.

“This will include the full resolution of all outstanding issues and the substantial implementation of the GPA. We are aware of the Constitutional implications of our decision, in light of the foundational element of the transitional government that executive power is shared between the President, the Prime Minister and Cabinet,” said Tsvangirai.

“However, it is a Constitutional crisis which should be resolved if Zanu PF and its leadership know that there is a price to pay for procrastination. Naturally should this Constitutional crisis escalate, then the self-evident solution would be the holding of a free and fair election to be conducted by SADC and the AU and under UN supervision,” he added.

Exactly 264 days since the extra-ordinary summit of SADC of 26 January 2009 that directed the formation of the transitional government, which government started work on the 13 February 2009, that administration has still not been fully consummated.

The MDC complained that provincial governors have not been appointed to date despite agreement on every item.

“More indecently is the fact that even the government itself has not fully been constituted due to the failure to swear in the deputy minister of Agriculture. Perhaps more embarrassingly is the fact that there has been no review of the GPA nor of the ministerial positions six months after 26 January 2009.

The party accused ZANU PF of “a complete lack of paradigm shift on the part of Zanu PF”.

“Instead, we have seen total abuse and disrespect of the GPA and in particular of the MDC. Ministerial mandates have been changed unilaterally, government internal rules have not been changed to recognize the new reality. Over and above this, some government agencies, in particular few components in the National Security forces still behave as if the old order exists. The National Security Council itself has met only once in nine months,” said Tsvangirai.

“We are also aware of the extensive militarization of the countryside through massive deployment of the military and the setting up of bases of violence that we saw after the 29th of March 2008. Over and above this, we are aware of over 16 000 of Zanu PF youth functionaries who have been imposed on the government payroll,” he said.

The party also complained about “continuous selective and unequal application of the rule of law”. Tsvangirai said seven of his MDC MPs have been persecuted and convicted on shadowy charges whilst several others are on remand.

“The public media, in particular The Herald and the ZBC continue to treat the MDC and our leaders in government as if they were a third-rate treasonous and sell-out element instead of a genuine and equal partner in the transitional government.

The slow rate of movement and execution of positions agreed in the GPA is also as worrying as it is unacceptable. Indeed, the lack of real movement on the key issues of democratization of the media, the Constitutional reform process, the land audit and the rule of law issues in the GPA are issues that stick out like a sore thumb,” Tsvangirai said.

He said if the constitutional crisis persists UN supervised elections should be conducted.