Morgan Tsvangirai sworn in as Zimbabwe prime minister

Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has been sworn in as Zimbabwe's prime minister more than four months after signing a power-sharing deal.

Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president and Tsvangirai's long-time political rival, administered the oath of office in the capital Harare on Wednesday.

"I will well and truly serve Zimbabwe in the office of prime minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe, so help me God," Tsvangirai said before shaking hands with Mugabe.

Two deputy prime ministers, Arthur Mutambara of a breakaway faction of the MDC and Thokozani Khupe of Tsvangirai's party, were also sworn in during the ceremony.

In a speech to his supporters in a Harare stadium shortly after his inauguration, Tsvangirai said that political violence and human-rights abuses must end immediately.

"It hurts that as we celebrate here today there are some who are in prison. I can assure you that they are not going to remain in those dungeons any day or any week longer," he said.

Tsvangirai said rebuilding the economy would take time and promised that teachers would be paid their dues.

"The first priority is to stabilise the economy," he said.

Challenges ahead

On the eve of his swearing-in, Tsvangirai defended his decision to finally enter government with Mugabe's Zanu-PF after years of trying to force them from power.

"The sceptics must understand why we have done this and what is the best course of action to address the questions and challenges of transition in this political environment," he said.

"We have made this decision and we made it without being forced.

"We want our colleagues in the country and outside the country to approach it from that perspective. It is our decision. Let history be the judge of this decision."

Tsvangirai had demanded that all political detainees be freed before Wednesday's ceremony, but this was apparently ignored by Mugabe's government.

"A lot of political prisoners are still in police detention being tortured, being beaten, and Tsvangirai hasn't been able to convince Robert Mugabe to release them," Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, reporting from Harare, said.

"People are wondering how much power Tsvangirai actually has, can he stand up to president Mugabe, will this government work?"

Scores of opposition party members and rights activists have been jailed since Tsvangirai finished ahead of Mugabe in the first round of a presidential election in March last year.

Cabinet compromise

The South Africa-brokered power-sharing deal was signed on September 15 last year but was stalled by wrangling over control of ministries and the security forces.

The dispute was settled by an agreement which saw the two parties name co-ministers to the home affairs ministry, which oversees the police force, and the creation of a new National Security Council.

"Tsvangirai's swearing in symbolises a new era for the people of Zimbabwe," Daniel Makina, a political analyst at the University of South Africa, said.

But he questioned how successful the new prime minister will be in tackling the huge economic and social problems that Zimbabwe faces.

"We only hope that his appointment will stem the tide of economic and humanitarian decline. But the lingering question is how effective are his powers going to be," he said.

The European Union welcomed the swearing-in as an "important step to democratic rule" in Zimbabwe.

"The EU hopes that the formation of the new government will lead to an immediate end to political violence and intimidation ... and the stabilisation and recovery of Zimbabwe," the 27-nation bloc said in a statement.

European sanctions

EU foreign ministers last month tightened sanctions which ban Mugabe, his family and allies from entering Europe.

More than half of Zimbabwe's population needs food aid, unemployment is estimated at about 94 per cent and the economy is struggling to cope with hyper-inflation.

Public hospitals are closed with doctors and nurses unpaid, exacerbating a health crisis in a nation where 1.3 million people are HIV-positive, and cholera has hit nearly 70,000 people since August, killing about 3,400 of them.

Tsvangirai has said he will focus on creating economic stability and attracting foreign investment, but his ambitions may be hampered by the global financial crisis and donors' concerns over the deal with Mugabe.