The main opposition party in Zimbabwe has won the vote for parliament speaker, dealing a blow to President Robert Mugabe in a post-election power struggle.
The Movement for Democratic Change's Lovemore Moyo won 110 votes, giving him one of the most powerful positions in Zimbabwean politics.
Mr Moyo's party and Mr Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF are deadlocked over what the MDC says is the president's refusal to give up executive power after 28 years in office.
Zimbabwe's parliament had earlier been sworn-in during a ceremony that included the arrest of two opposition legislators.
The MDC said the arrests were a bid to reverse its unprecedented majority ahead of the vote for the speaker.
The opposition party has also warned that Mr Mugabe's appointment of parliamentarians was a threat to power-sharing talks.
The president appointed three non-constituency members of parliament's upper house and eight provincial governors.
Western countries, key to the funding that Zimbabwe needs to emerge from economic collapse, have said they would only recognise a government led by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
Mr Tsvangirai defeated Mr Mugabe in a first round presidential vote in March but without an absolute majority.
Mr Mugabe won a run-off election in June which was boycotted by Mr Tsvangirai over political violence which he said killed over 120 MDC supporters.
