Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party has accused Finance Minister Tendai Biti of delaying the country's constitutional revision process by underfunding it.
President Mugabe told supporters Saturday at a celebration of his 87th birthday that Biti was sitting on at least US$2 million from Marange diamond proceeds.
ZANU-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo told reporters that the party has asked the president to force Biti to relase the funds to conclude constitutional revision, threatening that otherwise his party will call for elections to be held immediately.
The Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, of which Biti is secretary general, has said that elections should not be held until reforms have been implemented, including a referendum on the new constitution late this year.
Gladys Dube-Gombami, vice chairperson of the parliamentary select committee in charge of the constitutional revision process and a member of the Tsvangirai MDC, told VOA Studio 7 reporter Chris Gande that ZANU-PF's haste to to hold elections is worrisome.
Finance Minister Biti could not be reached for comment.
