Zanu-PF in renewed succession battle

Internecine fights rocking Zanu-PF are likely to deepen as known factions jostle to succeed President Mugabe in the aftermath of recent elections.

The battle has been intensified by consultations on an extraordinary congress and a clause in the new constitution which states that "the vacancy in the office of President must be filled by a nominee of the political party which the president represented when he or she stood for election", which effectively threw wide open the succession race, as it means any popular candidate can effectively clinch the presidency ahead of more senior members such as vice-president.

Almost immediately after the recent general elections, consultations are underway in Zanu-PF to hold an extraordinary congress at the end of the year in place of the expected annual conference in a bid to secure a new 5-year party leadership term for President Mugabe to align it with his fresh state tenure, in a move seen as an attempt to pre-empt the simmering succession crisis ahead of next year's scheduled elective assembly.

While Zanu-PF bigwigs want Mugabe to call a special congress to announce when he will go and resolve the succession problem, it has emerged it fact he wants to use the gathering to consolidate his grip on the helm.