INSTANT VIEW - Reaction to Zimbabwe power-sharing deal

(Reuters) - Below is reaction to Zimbabwe's power-sharing agreement reached between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday.

MARIAN TUPY, POLICY ANALYST, CATO INSTITUTE'S CENTER FOR

GLOBAL LIBERTY AND PROSPERITY

"Today's power-sharing agreement in Zimbabwe will likely see the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Morgan Tsvangirai appointed as Zimbabwe's executive prime minister as early as next week".

"The new prime minister will face a monumental task of reviving the world's most rapidly shrinking economy, and healing the wounds of decades of state-sponsored political violence. He should recognize that Zimbabwe's major problems are rooted in the lack of political and economic freedom".

"The new government should stop political violence, free up the media and reinstate the freedom of assembly. To restore confidence both at home and overseas, the government should quickly end Zimbabwe's hyperinflation through dollarisation or the implementation of a currency board. It should move to, among other measures, restore property rights, free up prices and trade, and streamline business regulation".

LOVEMORE MADHUKU, HEAD OF NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY

PRESSURE GROUP

"The deal is more of a capitulation by the MDC than by ZANU-PF because I believe Mugabe gets to keep most of his powers while Tsvangirai will have some cosmetic executive authority".