EDITOR - Zanu (PF) President and First Secretary, Robert Mugabe's, Add another five years to eighty six, and Mugabe will be at least ninety one years old by the time his next term ends. This is assuming he wins the elections in the first place. It is likely that he will also want to remain president of Zanu (PF) while he serves as President of the country.
The most likely outcome, however, given events on the ground, is that he will loose dismally to the MDC candidate, who, as hinted already, will be Morgan Tsvangirai. To save their beloved leader from embarrassment, and in order to rebuild the party that is in tatters, the few progressive elements in Zanu (PF) must use the constitution making process to come up with age limits for all publicly elected officials in the same way as retiring ages are set for other workers.
If Mugabe dies in office, that will be the demise of Zanu (PF). We still need a strong political opposition in the new Zimbabwe, and Zanu (PF) has such potential if they get rid of 86-year-old Robert Mugabe as a matter of urgency. But, as the people in Zanu (PF) are cowards, they cannot remove him from the party directly. If they help set age limits for presidential candidates, Mugabe will immediately give up Zanu (PF) presidency, paving the way for new blood, as acknowledged by Professor Jonathan Moyo in one of his recent articles.
I appeal to all progressive forces outside Zanu (PF) to raise the need for limiting age for publicly elected officials either way as no one in Zanu (PF) will be bold enough to suggest so. But when they get into the ballot box to vote, I am sure many, including a lot of parliamentarians, will see reason to vote for an age limit for publicly elected officials. My suggestion is that no one should be allowed to contest for a new term of office at the age of 80.
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