Zimbabwe's senate on Thursday passed Constitutional Amendment Number 19, paving the way for the establishment of an inclusive government.

The bill now awaits the signature of President Robert Mugabe to enact it into law after 72 senators who are in the House voted for its passage with no votes cast against it.

The Lower House earlier on Thursday endorsed the deal which will see the country's three main political parties form a coalition government, expected to be in place by the end of next week.

President Robert Mugabe will retain the presidency under the power-sharing deal, while Morgan Tsvangirai of the larger formation of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) will be appointed Prime Minister, and Arthur Mutambara of the breakaway MDC will be named deputy prime minister.

The parties will, among other things, also share cabinet posts.

Presenting the Bill in the Senate, Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the passage of the deal would be historic as it will usher in a new era in the way Zimbabwe is governed.

A lot of hurdles had been faced and compromises made for the bill to be acceptable to all parties, he said.

"It has been a long, frustrating, erratic, bumpy and quarrelsome journey characterized by animosities, disagreements, mutual dislikes, name calling, mutual demonisations, vilifications of each other's policies and leadership," Chinamasa told the Senate.

"But notwithstanding the negatives, what is important and significant is that we have managed to reach this far and for that we remain fore ever grateful to our people and for their resilience, understanding and support," he said.

Chinamasa gave a brief account of how the negotiations between ruling Zanu-PF and the opposition MDC began as way back as2002 but had met various setbacks until finally an agreement was signed last year.

Following the passage of the Bill, "it was now time for the inclusive government train to leave the station," he said to applause from senators.

A representative of the Tsvangirai led formation of the MDC, Sekai Holland, chief's representative Chief Fortune Charumbira as well as David Coltart of the smaller MDC faction told Senate it was vital for all parties to the deal to support it, as it was one instrument which would take the country forward.

Admitting that the bill is imperfect, they all agreed that it is the only viable solution to addressing the seemingly insurmountable challenges Zimbabwe is facing.

"The bill is flawed and has many potential pitfalls but that is inevitable because what we are debating is a product of compromise," said Coltart. "This process will not work unless we listen to each other."

The bill has both permanent and temporary amendments of the Zimbabwe Constitution. The temporary amendments will only be in effect for as long as the inclusive government is in place.

Formation of the inclusive government has taken over five months after the initial signing of the agreements as a result of hard-line stances taken by both ruling Zanu PF and the opposition MDC over issues that the latter wanted addressed before joining the envisaged government.

The Tsvangirai-led MDC finally agreed to participate in the government last Friday.

Source:Xinhua