Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is to lead his party today in endorsing 2008 elections that will likely see the 83-year-old leader stand for another term.
Critics say Mr Mugabe, Zimbabwe's sole ruler since independence from Britain in 1980, has plunged the country into crisis through his policies, including the seizure of white-owned farms to give to landless blacks.
But the central committee of Mr Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party, scheduled to meet today, is expected to endorse a move to bring forward parliamentary elections to run concurrently with presidential polls set for next year.
The veteran Zimbabwe leader had first sought to extend his term by two years to 2010, but ran into resistance in his party. He then suggested running for president again when his current six year term ends in 2008 - outflanking opponents who were preparing to oppose the 2010 option.
Mr Mugabe has already won backing in his bid by the party's key women's and youth leagues, whose members make a sizeable number of the 245-member central committee.
Political analysts said Mr Mugabe had moved to defuse internal opposition within Zanu-PF by co-ordinating presidential and parliamentary elections - meaning that sitting MPs will be forced to campaign for him while they stump for their own seats.