Party nominates Mugabe amid economic collapse

ROBERT Mugabe’s party yesterday nominated him as its candidate for president in voting next year, demonstrating the 83-year-old’s hold over the group despite Zimbabwe’s economic collapse.

During a Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front conference all 10 of the party’s provincial bodies backed Mr Mugabe. He has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980 and earlier this year thwarted challenges from internal rivals. The elections are scheduled for March.

In the opening ceremony, broadcast on state television and radio, Mr Mugabe told his party he would not abandon them or the people in hard times.

“I dare not abandon them. Every one of them matters to me. Can I let them down? No. Their welfare is my welfare. Their suffering is my suffering,” he said.

Power outages, water shortages, empty store shelves and record-setting inflation are seen as symptoms of an economic collapse that Mr Mugabe’s critics link to his policies. Mr Mugabe also is accused of a crackdown on opponents.

Mr Mugabe thanked delegates and accused western nations of continuing with efforts to isolate the country and discredit him, and said George Bush and Gordon Brown attempted to interfere in Zimbabwe’s internal politics. The country is suffering chronic shortages of hard currency, food and petrol.

Independent finance houses estimate that real inflation is 90,000% and the IMF has forecast it reaching 100,000% by the end of the year.

Official inflation was given in September as 8,000%.