Former Zimbabwean vice president Joice Mujuru, leader of the country’s National People’s Party (NPP), has been nominated as the newly-formed People’s Rainbow Coalition’s 2018 presidential election candidate.
Mujuru was nominated by parties affiliated to the People’s Rainbow Coalition which include the NPP, Democratic Assembly for Restoration and Empowerment, Zimbabweans United for Democracy and a faction of the People’s Democratic Party led by Lucia Matibenga.
Speaking soon after the nomination, Mrs. Mujuru said there was need for the coalition to embark on a massive voter registration campaign in Zimbabwe and other nations in order to drum up support for the group ahead of the crucial 2018 national polls.
“We must also call upon ZEC (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission conducting the voter registration program), civic society, churches and the media to increase their efforts towards encouraging the people to register to vote,” she said.
Mujuru added that “under this coalition Zimbabwe should be known as a peaceful nation through which we should have free, fair and credible elections.”
She was expelled from the ruling Zanu PF party following allegations that she wanted to topple 93 year-old President Robert Mugabe. Mujuru dismissed the allegations as farfetched, noting that she was a victims of Mugabe’s succession battles in the faction-riddled ruling party.
Another opposition coalition, the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance, was formed a couple of months ago with the aimed to unseating Mr. Mugabe and his party in the 2018 presidential, senatorial, parliamentary and council elections.
Opposition parties in the MDC Alliance include Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC, Professor Welshman Ncube’s MDC formation, Tendai Biti’s People’s Democratic Party,
Agrippa Mutambara (Zimbabwe People First), Jacob Ngarivhume (Transform Zimbabwe), Multiracial Christian Democrats and Zanu Ndonga.
Zanu PF currently has a majority in the House of Assembly and Senate.