Mugabe says Zanu PF will choose successor

Mugabe says Zanu PF will choose successor

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By Staff Reporter

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe appeared to rule out hand picking his successor Sunday, instead suggesting that the matter should be put to vote within his ruling Zanu PF party.

Mugabe was speaking in a pre-recorded interview to mark his 82nd birthday broadcast on Zimbabwe's state television Sunday night. He is 82 on Tuesday.

The Zimbabwean leader who married his secretary, Grace, and has three children has recently stated that he wants to retire to write his memoirs and read books.

"I think when the moment has come they will be able to do it (elect a new leader). You will always get this vying for power. They should go about it the right way," said Mugabe, Zimbabwe's sole ruler since independence from Britain in 1980.

He added: "There is time to campaign, but campaign at the right time and not become divisive and over-ambitious, with secret meetings taking place and denouncing and denigrating others and so on.

"Sure, we will always rely on the leadership that is elected at congress and not from clandestine meetings — they will never win, never."

Mugabe said he was keen to protect his legacy, and hoped that leaders could come from within his Zanu PF party to enforce his policies.

"Yes, I want to believe there are enough cadres, some are still developing. I am sure there will be those in the future who will be prepared to uphold our sovereignty and die for the defence or our country."

Mugabe's term expires in just over 24 months, and his legal team have been trying to come up with a smooth exit plan for Mugabe.

One of the options, according to Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, would be to postpone the presidential elections from 2008 to 2010, and have a President elected by parliament in the two years.

The other alternative would be to bring forward the parliamentary elections from 2010 to 2008 so that they are held concurrently with the presidential elections.

Alternatively, said Chinamasa, the harmonisation of presidential and parliamentary elections could be done in 2015, meaning that the President elected in 2008 will serve for seven years.
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