blog archive

Friday 17 December 2010

Mugabe's Party At Odds Over 2011 Election

4:51pm UK, Friday December 17, 2010

Michael Burgess, Sky News Online

Zimbabwe's Zanu PF party conference is at odds over whether or not to hold parliamentary elections next year.

Robert Mugabe To Speak at Zanu PF Conference

Robert Mugabe wants a general election no later than June next year

Party officials believe any elections in 2011 will jeopardise the political and economic stability achieved under the current power-sharing government.

But, hoping to regain lost political ground, party leader President Robert Mugabe has made it clear he wants elections to be held no later than June next year.

Despite the misgivings of his party, Mr Mugabe is still expected to win unanimous backing for his election plans.

Partnered with the opposing MDC party, he has been forced to share power with the opposition's Morgan Tsvangirai.

The state of the political situation in terms of our enemies, external and internal, will be reviewed.

Mike Madiro, of the Zanu PF executive in Manicaland province

The power-sharing deal was brokered when Zanu PF, which was the sole ruling party in Zimbabwe, lost parliamentary elections in March 2008.

Coinciding with his party’s defeat, Mr Mugabe lost a presidential vote to Mr Tsvangirai, now Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.

Mr Tsvangirai was unable to take power because election authorities held onto results for five weeks and then said there would be a run-off, which he boycotted.

Mike Madiro, chairman of Zanu PF’s executive in Manicaland province, said: "This conference is to re-invigorate the party.

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai

Mr Tsvangirai says there is no need for a general election

"We will also discuss the state of the economy and re-energise ourselves. The state of the political situation, in terms of our enemies, external and internal, will also be reviewed."

Responding to calls for a general election, Mr Tsvangirai said only a presidential election was needed.

"The next election should be solely for the disputed presidential election of 2008," he said.

"There is no need to go for harmonised elections when we have not resolved the disputed presidential election first."

No comments:

Post a Comment