Zimbabwe’s ZANU PF is expected to take nominations for the vacant vice president position on Saturday as preparations gather momentum for the party’s watershed annual congress scheduled for December. Zimbabwe’s Herald daily said ZANU PF electoral colleges are due to meet in the country’s 10 provinces to elect the new Presidium and Central Committee members.
The contest for the position of party vice president is expected to be hotly contested, with at least five candidates having expressed interest in replacing Joseph Msika who died in August.
President Robert Mugabe has two deputies in the party and in government but one of the vice presidents’ slots has been vacant since the August. Joice Mujuru is the other vice president.
Under the ZANU PF constitution, the two vice presidential slots must be shared by members of the old ZANU PF and the former PF ZAPU which derived its support base from Matabeleland in the west of the country.
The two parties merged in 1987 following a Unity Accord signed by Mugabe and former PF ZAPU leader and late vice president Joshua Nkomo.
Mujuru is from the old ZANU PF while the former PF ZAPU was yet to choose a replacement for Msika.
ZANU PF national chairman John Nkomo has been nominated by one of the provinces in the Matabeleland region but he faces stiff competition from other candidates who have also thrown their hats into the contest.
The electoral colleges are also expected to take nominations from candidates vying for Nkomo’s current position which would be contested at next month’s congress.
Source African Press Agency
