Zimbabwe’s ruling party was expected to pick Robert Mugabe again as its candidate on Friday for next year’s presidential election after the beleaguered leader won strong public backing from his peers.
The central committee of the Zanu-PF was to meet in Harare where it was set to rubberstamp a decision by its politburo earlier this week to extend the 83-year-old leader’s tenure.
Mugabe, who has ruled the country since independence in 1980 and is widely blamed for the political and economic crisis rocking Zimbabwe, would be 90 years of age if he were to be re-elected in 2008 and serve a full six-year term.
While there have been rumblings of discontent within Zanu-PF over Mugabe’s reluctance to retire, sources close to the politburo said no one was so far putting their head above the parapet and challenging his nomination.
”We are supporting the old man because we need continuity. There is a lot of unfinished business,” said one party source, adding ”it’s a deal done”.
The central committee meeting ”is a formality and it’s almost certain no one will stand up against him”, said another source.
Opposition within Zimbabwe towards Mugabe has soared in recent weeks with inflation now the highest in the world at 1 730% and four out of five people out of work.
He was also widely condemned by his long-time critics in the West for the arrests and assaults of senior members of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) this month as they tried to stage an anti-government rally.
But any hopes of the MDC that Southern Africa would stand up publicly to Mugabe were dashed at a regional summit in Tanzania when leaders expressed ”solidarity” with his government, called for the lifting of Western sanctions and chose South African President Thabo Mbeki to act as a mediator.
Mugabe has tried to blame Zimbabwe’s economic woes on the West, although the sanctions programme currently in place only targets Mugabe and his inner circle by restricting their travel and freezing their bank accounts.
The sanctions were imposed after the European Union and United States said Mugabe rigged the 2002 elections, but the Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders made a point of declaring the ballot free and fair.
They also called on old colonial power Britain to ”honour its commitments” dating back to the independence agreement to resume payments to fund land redistribution, money London says has been used to line pockets in the past.
The choice of Mbeki to try to promote dialogue between the Zimbabwean government and opposition was also likely to have pleased Mugabe given that the South African leader has consistently refused to publicly criticise his northern neighbour and instead advocates ”quiet diplomacy”.
Summit insiders said the Southern African leaders were more critical of Mugabe behind closed doors but caved in to demands to issue a statement that was favourable to his leadership.
”Zimbabwe was quite uncomfortable with a harsh communique so it had to be adapted,” a Tanzanian official said.
Asked if he was pleased at the outcome of the summit, Mugabe replied: ”Yes, I have good neighbours.”
The MDC said it was prepared to meet with Zanu-PF representatives under Mbeki’s mediation but held out little hope the dialogue would help matters.
”Even if you have dialogue tomorrow, how does that reduce inflation from 1 730% to say, 2%, or reduce an unemployment rate of 80%,” Tendai Biti, secretary general of the main MDC faction, said.
”We have been on this road before. It’s not the first time that President Mbeki has been appointed to mediate in this crisis and we wonder what is different now that will bring any hope when our leaders are being butchered, our offices are being raided and our equipment destroyed.” — Sapa-AFP