The parliament of Zimbabwe is due to be sworn in for the first time following the disputed presidential election earlier this year.

The opening of parliament comes amid a deadlock in power-sharing talks between President Mugabe's Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

One of the first priorities will be the selection of the parliamentary speaker, in what is expected to be a close vote.

The MDC, the main opposition party, has just a one seat majority in the house.

The vote could be deadlocked if the sole independent MP, Jonathan Moyo, votes with Zanu-PF.

A breakaway faction of the MDC, has 10 seats in the house and could also play a role in determining the parliamentary speaker.

In the Senate, Zanu-PF has a six-seat majority so it is anticipated that the Zanu-PF candidate will fill the post of president of the Senate.

The opening of parliament in Harare comes with the blessing of the regional body, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), writes the BBC's Karen Allen.

SADC has been widely criticised for failing to take a tough stance on Robert Mugabe.

Its own observers condemned the vote back in June when the man who has ruled Zimbabwe for 28 years stood unopposed.

And it has made little headway in trying to broker a power-sharing deal for the country which is on the verge of economic collapse.

The swearing-in of parliamentarians will seek to convey a sense of business as usual in Zimbabwe, says our correspondent.

Talks to resolve the political crisis failed earlier this month, with the balance of power between the president and the prime minister a key stumbling block.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the first presidential round in March, before pulling out of a June run-off citing a campaign of violence against his supporters.

Zanu-PF lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since 1980 - taking 99 seats to the MDC's 100 in the House of Assembly.

But both parties will rely on the backing of an MDC breakaway faction led by Arthur Mutambara, which has 10 seats, to preserve a majority in the lower house.

Source: BBC