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New constitution or we'll boycott polls: MDC
ZimOnline
March 28, 2007

http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=1118

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe is today expected to chair a crucial meeting of his ZANU PF party’s inner politburo cabinet that may endorse or reject him as the party’s candidate in next year’s presidential election.

ZANU PF insiders told ZimOnline that Mugabe would after the meeting in Harare dash off to Tanzania where he is scheduled to brief Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders on the rapidly deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe.

The 83-year old President, who is facing pressure to quit from rebels within ZANU PF and from a resurgent opposition Movement for democratic Change (MDC) party, will immediately fly back to Harare for a meeting of his ruling party’s central committee on Friday that should have a final say on whether he will run on the party’s ticket in 2008.

In the unlikely event that the politburo and central committee – all dominated by Mugabe loyalists – recommend that a younger leader represents ZANU PF in next year’s poll, then this would effectively force the veteran leader into retirement.

But the ZANU PF old guard and longtime allies of Mugabe were adamant yesterday that he would not be forced out this way, vowing they would not allow the politburo and central committee to even debate whether or not Mugabe should stand in 2008 because he was an "automatic candidate until he himself indicates otherwise".

ZANU PF’s old guard spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira, who is also a personal friend of Mugabe said the party would discuss the harmonisation of presidential and parliamentary elections so they could be held at the same time either next year or in 2010 but would not debate Mugabe’s candidature.

Shamuyarira said: "ZANU PF will not discuss issues to do with President Mugabe's position on Wednesday, Friday or any time soon.

"The meeting will discuss several issues. The harmonisation of elections would be one of them, probably topping the agenda. But whether the party agrees to hold the elections next year or in 2010, the fact is Comrade Mugabe will remain the candidate until he indicates otherwise."

Didymus Mutasa, who is ZANU PF’s secretary for administration and effectively the party’s secretary general, said Mugabe was elected president of the party by congress and would represent the party in presidential elections. He could not be replaced at this week’s meetings because the meetings were not congress.

"The ZANU PF constitution is clear. The president is chosen at congress. Friday's meeting is not a congress," said Mutasa.

Mugabe had initially attempted to hang onto power by proposing that the presidential poll due next year when his term ends be moved to 2010 so it could be held together with elections for Parliament. He said such a plan would save on administrative costs.

But a faction within ZANU PF and led by powerful former army commander Solomon Mujuru mobilised resistance to the plan at ZANU PF’s annual conference last December, forcing the matter to be postponed to this week’s meetings of the politburo and central committee.

While Mugabe relented on his effort to move the presidential poll to 2010, he surprised many even within his own ZANU PF party when he said he would stand again in combined presidential and parliamentary polls next year.

Insiders said Mujuru’s camp was last night mobilising its ranks to try and block Mugabe from standing as ZANU PF’s presidential candidate in 2008. But they said the Mujuru camp was finding taking on Mugabe directly a difficult task with many of its leading figures said to have begun developing cold feet at the eleventh hour.

"As we speak the politburo member (from Mujuru’s camp) who had been tasked to move the motion opposing Mugabe's plans to seek re-election is running scared and we are frantically trying to find someone to take over that task," said a top ZANU PF official linked to Mujuru.

Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe the since its 1980 independence from Britain but critics say his policies are responsible for an economic meltdown, which has left the majority of the country’s 12 million people mired in poverty as unemployment rockets while inflation has surged to nearly 2 000 percent.

The crisis has escalated political tensions, which have sparked a violent crackdown by government against the opposition, forcing SADC leaders - who have come under heavy criticism for their quiet diplomacy on Zimbabwe - to summon Mugabe to explain the situation which many fear could easily explode and destabilise the region. – ZimOnline

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