Zimbabwe’s former Minister of Finance the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader, Tendai Biti will witness history in the making when the Democratic Party endorses Hilary Clinton as its first female candidate in the upcoming Presidential elections.
The four-day Democratic convention will open on Monday, with Biti’s PDP officials announcing that their leader is a participant, invited to attend the national convention organised by United States of America’s Democratic Party in Philadelphia this week.
Ahead of the convention some good news for Clinton, The New York Times reported that businessman and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will endorse her in a prime-time speech on Monday, saying she will be the best choice for moderate voters in 2016.
PDP secretary for international relations, Willias Madzimure, told party supporters in Mabvuku yesterday that Biti would be attending Clinton’s convention from today until Thursday.
The US presidential elections are scheduled for November 8 2016, with Clinton set to lock horns with Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Madzimure confirmed that the PDP was still committed to the principle of a grand coalition of opposition parties, adding Biti might not necessarily lead the proposed coalition.
“It is our resolution that the president (Biti) is not necessarily a presidential candidate, but we will support anyone who stands for our principle”, Madzimure said.
Meanwhile, MDC-T provincial executives in Masvingo and Mashonaland West have thrown their weight behind the recent appointment of Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri as the party’s co-vice-presidents.
Mashonaland West provincial chairperson Ralph Tawanda Magunje hailed MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai for making the appointments and castigated party members who have filed a High Court application challenging the decision.
MDC-T Masvingo spokesperson Dusty Zivave also embraced the decision, saying the two would help the party reconnect with its grassroots structures ahead of the 2018 elections.