Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party stands by its decision to harmonise elections in 2010, saying it showed confidence in the leadership of President Robert Mugabe, a state-run daily reported on Saturday.
Didymus Mutasa, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) party’s secretary for administration, told the Herald that holding elections in 2010 instead of 2008 was ”ideal”, no matter what critics said.
”Those people must be in a position to realise that the decision to harmonise elections in 2010 is a vote of confidence in the leadership of President Robert Mugabe, it’s a big vote of confidence by the party,” Mutasa said.
The 82-year-old leader’s term was set to expire in 2008, 28 years after he first assumed power, but Mugabe has indicated he has no intention of stepping down.
On December 16, Mugabe’s ruling party proposed to extend his term of office, arguing that holding parliamentary and presidential elections simultaneously would save money in a country reeling under record inflation.
”2010 is ideal for everyone, the opposition included, I do not see any problem with that,” Mutasa said.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has indicated that he is ready to lead resistance to plans for Mugabe to extend his rule for another two years.
Rights groups have also vowed to stage mass street protests. – AFP
