|
|
||||||||
|
Mugabe opponent begins Zimbabwe presidential campaign
Related articles:
.- A former finance minister and senior member of Zimbabwe’s ruling party has emerged as a challenger to President Robert Mugabe’s 28 years of continuous rule, Cybercast News Service reports. Simba Makoni told a press conference in Harare that he was standing as an independent candidate for president in the March 29 election. He was expelled from the ruling ZANU-PF party on Wednesday, but is winning support from party members. Former army commander Solomon Mujuru, the husband of the current vice-president, has announced his support for Makoni’s candidacy. Makoni could also win over some members of the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which has split into factions along ethnic and regional lines. The MDC has put forward its own presidential candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai. Makoni appealed to all opponents of Mugabe at his press conference. "We should be decent enough to come up with a unified position instead of fighting among ourselves," he said. "There will be many of us, a great many of us," he said, according to Cybercast News Service. Makoni studied chemistry and read his doctorate in Britain, and was removed as finance minister in 2002 for disagreeing with some of Mugabe’s policies. He remained a member of the party’s decision-making body, the politburo. ZANU-PF supporters have accused Makoni of promoting a “neo-liberal” economic agenda of Western countries. A powerful group of so-called “war veterans” opposes Makoni’s candidacy. They are associated with the struggle for black majority rule, benefiting from the seizure of white-owned farms in 2000. They are largely staunch Mugabe supporters. According to Cybercast News Service, on Thursday, the group called Makoni a “traitor,” noting that the ruling party “has a history of dealing harshly” with such people. Mugabe has presided over severe economic failures. His land redistribution program resulted in acute food shortages and contributed to an inflation rate that according to the International Monetary Fund averages 150,000 percent. Hundreds of thousands of economic refugees from Zimbabwe are flooding neighboring South Africa. Mugabe blames western sanctions for the economic collapse of his country. ADD A COMMENT (Your e-mail will NOT be published):
* Thanks for your comments. The number of messages that can be online is limited. Length should not exceed 1500 characters. CNA reserves the right to edit messages for content and tone. Comments and opinions expressed by users do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of CNA. CNA will not publish comments with abusive language, insults or links to other pages. ADVERTISING |
Latest news:
10:03 pm | Pro-abortion lobbies ‘incensed’ at Stupak deal to pass health care 01:04 pm | Over 1,500 attend Philadelphia men’s conference 12:34 pm | Post office rate hike on mailings critical of homosexuals in the military overruled 11:05 am | Jesus is Justice in person, declares Benedict XVI at Angelus 07:50 am | Knights of Columbus rallying against ‘immoral' Philippines contraception campaign Related news :
British cardinal prays to end “crisis of governance” in Zimbabwe Zimbabwe bishops demand fair elections as Mugabe secures his position Archbishop who opposed Mugabe now to focus on evangelization Former Archbishop Ncube denies rumors he will run for president Get CNA News on your email:
Resources
|
ADVERTISING
Place your ad here |
||||||
|
||||||||
