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ZPPDP vows to win elections
Vusumuzi Sifile, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
December 02, 2007

A NEW political party last week boasted it intended to "embarrass" both the ruling Zanu PF and the opposition MDC in next year's harmonised elections.

The Zimbabwe People's Progressive Democratic Party (ZPPDP) has still to be officially launched, but declared, through its leaders, it would win the elections.

In an interview the president, Tafirenyika Mudavanhu, and secretary-general, Gibbs Paul Gotora, said they were confident they would form the next government.

"From what we have done so far," said Mudavanhu, "we have no doubt we will win the elections next year."

Unlike a number of new parties formed in recent years just before elections, which have subsequently fizzled out within months, the ZPPDP leaders say they have "done everything" to win next year's elections.

But the party has no full-time staff and was virtually unknown until last week when an advertisement appeared in this newspaper.

But Mudavanhu was undeterred: "The fact that we are still new is not an issue. We were formally registered on 3 August, but all along we were establishing our roots.

"As it is now, we are almost through with the selection of candidates for next year. We will contest every position at every level, and we have no doubt, on the basis of what we have done so far, we are going to win."

Asked what it was they "have done so far", Mudavanhu said: "We are a membership based party. So far we have close to two million registered members.

We are not like all the other parties that depend on supporters. Supporters can change their allegiance anytime, but with members, you are guaranteed they will be on your side all the time."

Mudavanhu insisted there were a number of "respected businesspeople" involved in the project, but could not give their names.

Gotora said the structure of the party "also makes it very easy to win an election".

"We have members at all levels. The lowest level, the village congress, has 588 executive members, representing seven leagues".

The party's platform has as its priorities minority rights, economic issues and democratic concerns.

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