Reuters Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was endorsed again by his party to stand for elections expected next year, but analysts say even for a veteran political survivor, the 87-year-old leader will find it harder to convince voters to extend his rule after 32 years in power. Mugabe, they said, would face young voters, many born after independence from Britain in 1980, who may not be overly impressed with his party's tales of its leadership role in the liberation struggle and are instead desperate to find jobs in the country which has the world's highest unemployment rate. ZANU-PF members want Mugabe to hand over the reins to a younger leader, but nobody has ever openly challenged him due to a generous political patronage system and his ability to patiently wear down opponents and keep them guessing on his next move. Analysts said ZANU-PF nominated Mugabe because it still has to solve a long-standing succession battle in its ranks, and the party has grudgingly accepted that Mugabe has manuverd himself into a position where he could end up president for life. Mugabe would be an improbable 93-year-old when he finishes a five-year-term if he wins an election in 2012 against main rival Morgan Tsvangirai, who charges that ZANU-PF has rigged and robbed him of victory in three major polls since 2000. The privately-owned Zimbabwe Independent newspaper said in an editorial that ZANU-PF had missed an opportunity at the conference to discuss its leadership and policy failures. “Instead they chose to bury their heads in the sand like an ostrich in the midst of a sandstorm,” the editorial said. Political analysts say Mugabe's allies are pressing for early elections, which are only due in 2013 when Mugabe would be 89, fearing he may not cope with the pressure of campaigning, and also to take advantage of what they see as a weakening opposition. A June 2008 US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks said Mugabe had prostate cancer that had spread to other organs. He was apparently urged by his physician to step down in 2008 but has stayed in the job. In an interview with Reuters a year ago, Mugabe denied he was dying of cancer but local media reports say he is taking regular trips to Singapore for medical treatment. “I think it's fair to say that Mugabe might be seeing some opportunities in taking on Tsvangirai sooner rather than later, with minimum democratic reforms, and increasing questions over Tsvangirai and the MDC's capacity,” said Lovemore Madhuku of the political pressure group National Constitutional Assembly. __
