Mugabe to delay the 2008 presidential poll until 2010?

This just in from apparently the Independant newspaper.

" PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe’s complex succession struggle took a dramatic twist this week with disclosures that he has given ministers orders to amend the constitution to move the presidential election to 2010 to secure a two-year extension to his hold on power.

Reliable official sources said Mugabe last month gave Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa, his point man on constitutional issues, and his Rural Housing counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa, also Zanu PF’s legal affairs secretary, a fresh mandate to change the constitution to delay the 2008 presidential poll until 2010 to allow him to hang onto office for a further two years.

“Mugabe has given Chinamasa the go-ahead to work on the plan with the assistance of Mnangagwa,” a well-placed source said. “The two ministers are currently working on it. The idea now is for Mugabe to remain president until the next harmonised presidential and parliamentary elections in 2010.”

An anonymous column in the government-controlled Herald, generally understood to be written by Mugabe’s press secretary George Charamba, on Saturday suggested that Mugabe was not going anywhere in 2008. Its revelations confirmed information filtering through from other quarters. "

Well, what a surprise. Anyone who thinks President Mugabe is going until he really has to is kidding themselves.

In his mind, lets not forget he's got kith and kin, as well as a pretty hard Brigade of bodyguards from which to choose the next generation to run the country. Beyond that even, if you believe in nanotechnology...

happy days
tm