Zimbabwe's Mnangagwa gets ruling party’s backing for another term

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has secured his party’s backing to be its candidate in next year’s elections.

The ruling Zanu-PF unanimously selected Mnangagwa on Friday for another five-year term at a conference in Harare. The decision solidifies 80-year-old Mnangagwa’s grip on the party he’s led since succeeding Robert Mugabe as president five years ago.

Nick Mangwana, the secretary for information and publicity, confirmed Mnangagwa’s re-election by text message. The ruling party’s resolutions will be formally published later, he said. The four-day elective congress ends on Saturday.

Party spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa did not immediately respond to calls for comment.

Mnangagwa is expected to face Nelson Chamisa, leader of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change, in the election. Mnangagwa defeated his rival in a disputed vote in 2018 and the opposition has since fractured, with Chamisa forming a new party after losing control of the Movement for Democratic Change.

Mnangagwa has presided over a mixed economic reform programme during his first term. After two years of contraction, the economy grew 7.2% in 2021 and is forecast to expand this year and next. But his administration has struggled to rein in inflation, with annual price growth running at 269%, and the Zimbabwean dollar — reintroduced in 2019 — has lost more than 80% of its value against the greenback this year.

Mnangagwa told party delegates during an earlier address that the “cross-cutting reforms” which he had presided over brought stability and predictability in the economy.

“The policies of the Zanu-PF led government are lifting many out of poverty into prosperity,” he said.

Zimbabwe has the world’s highest interest rate at 200%, imposed to support the currency and rein in inflation. 

There have also been clashes with big business, including the country’s largest mobile operator, Econet Wireless, and banks — all of whom Mnangagwa has accused of sabotaging the economy. Econet denies any wrongdoing. 

Still, Mnangagwa’s administration was hailed for its swift response to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The nation was one of Africa’s front-runners in securing vaccines. 

Grain stocks have improved after bumper corn and wheat harvests last season, helping nudge the Southern African nation towards food self-sufficiency. The government is also pursuing a nationwide dam- and road-rehabilitation programme, after years of neglect.

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