Zimbabwe’s ruling party will on Tuesday begin an extraordinary congress and President Robert Mugabe is expected to be endorsed as its sole presidential flagbearer in next year’s poll, party officials said.
The four-day congress, to be staged in capital Harare, is also expected to draw a roadmap for Zimbabwe’s political and economical policies for the next five years, officials said.
According to the agenda of the congress, Zanu-PF will declare veteran Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, president of the party and its sole state candidate for the March elections.
Jabulani Sibanda, chairperson of the war veterans, said the major highlight of the congress will be the endorsement of Mugabe (83) as the party’s sole candidate for the election.
”As war veterans we are 100% behind President Mugabe, no amount of hunger, pressure and threats from Britain will make us change that position. Nothing will stop us from supporting our president,” he said.
Mugabe’s relations with his former allies in Europe, including Britain, plummeted after he embarked on a controversial programme in 2000 to seize white-owned farms and he was slapped with a raft of sanctions after he allegedly rigged his 2002 re-election.
The congress will discuss the state of the economy, the 2007 agricultural season as well as confirm amendments to the Constitution which allow for joint parliamentary and presidential polls in March next year.
Zanu-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, in a rare show of cooperation, last August agreed on the joint parliamentary and presidential polls next March.
The last congress was held in December 2004.
The political editor of state-run the Herald newspaper, Ceaser Zvayi, said the significance of the congress will be the endorsement of Mugabe as the party’s candidate as well as his continued leadership.
”The congress will also obviuosly look at ways at improving the livelihood of the people. It will also address the burning question of the state of the economy which according to some people is now the only real opposition to Zanu-PF,” he said.
Godfrey Chikowore, director of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Zimbabwe, said the congress would assert the sovereignty of Zimbabweans.
”The congress signifies self-rule, sovereignty and reflects the will of the people as it will not only confirm President Mugabe as the party candidate, it will also discuss the state of the economy and agricultural progress for this year.”
Chikowore blamed Zimbabwe’s economic woes on the ”British sanctions and the opposition which have continued on its demonic mission against the country”.
Takura Zhangazha, Harare-based political commentator, said besides endorsing Mugabe’s candidature for the March poll, nothing concrete will come out of the congress.
”In terms of policy direction nothing is going to change significantly from this congress. The reason they are holding this congress is to endorse Mugabe. After endorsing Mugabe they would want to ensure that they gurantee a majority in Parliament and massage his revolutionary ego,” he said.
Some regional political organisations are expected to attend the summit.
The Southern African country is in the throes of an eight-year recession characterised by runaway inflation, chronic shortages of foreign currency, fuel and basic foodstuffs such as cooking oil and an unemployment rate hovering over 70%.
At least 80% of the population live below the poverty threshold often skipping meals and walking or cycling long distances to work in order to stretch their wages to the next payday.
The government in Harare, however, blames the economic woes on previous droughts and targeted sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States government on Mugabe and members of his inner circle and their families following the disputed presidential poll in 2002. – Sapa-AFP