Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party endorsed President Robert Mugabe today as its candidate in the 2008 presidential election, opening the way for the 83-year-old leader to extend his rule for another five years.
"This congress is requested to declare Comrade Mugabe as candidate for the 2008 presidential election," Emmerson Mnangagwa, ZANU-PF secretary for legal affairs, said moments before the motion was accepted by acclamation.
The motion was followed by cheers from delegates at the party congress in the capital Harare. All 10 ZANU-PF provinces backed the endorsement which had been expected after Mr Mugabe said he was willing to seek another term as leader.
Earlier senior party officials showered praise on Mr Mugabe who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980. They described him as a distinguished revolutionary who defended the rights of Zimbabweans and Africans.
They did not mention the widespread accusations at home and abroad that Mr Mugabe's government has stifled political opposition, abused human rights and turned Zimbabwe's once prosperous economy into one of Africa's poorest.
Speaking before his endorsement, Mr Mugabe said the election would be held in March and that political parties had time to campaign for the polls, which analysts say the veteran leader is likely to win against a weak and divided opposition.
"We shall hold that without fail. I want to emphasise that because we started announcing that we will be having the elections in March in about six months, our election processes are never by ambushes as they do in Europe," Mr Mugabe said.
"If some parties are not ready they have no one to blame. And we have given them enough time, and we still have another three months or so to go," he told delegates.