Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change boycotted a cabinet meeting today with President Robert Mugabe for the second consecutive week, deepening a rift over their unity government.

“Like last week, we haven’t attended cabinet today and won’t until outstanding issues with President Mugabe and the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front have been resolved,” MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said in a phone interview from Harare, the capital.

Tsvangirai withdrew from a power-sharing arrangement with Mugabe on Oct. 16, a day after police arrested party treasurer Roy Bennett, who was later released by a High Court judge on bail. Tsvangirai accused Zanu-PF of “dishonesty” and “disrespect.”

The MDC says it wants Mugabe to fire central bank Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana before it rejoins the government. The party is also calling for a joint military, police and intelligence committee to hold regular meetings and an end to what it describes as police harassment of its members.

Four armed men assaulted the MDC’s security administrator, Edith Mashayire, in a failed kidnapping attempt today in downtown Harare, the party said in an e-mailed statement.

The MDC, which won parliamentary elections last year, formed a power-sharing government with Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party to stem the southern African nation’s political crisis.

Tsvangirai and Mugabe failed to resolve the differences between their parties yesterday in their first meeting since the MDC withdrew from the government, said a spokesman for the premier.

The MDC has 13 cabinet posts, while Mugabe’s party has 15. A smaller MDC faction, led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, has three cabinet positions and hasn’t ended cooperation with Zanu-PF.

MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti, who is also Zimbabwe’s finance minister, said today that his party would announce its position after Oct. 31, after it had consulted with supporters.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Latham in Durban at blatham@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 27, 2009 06:10 EDT