Mbeki: ANC race not negative
05/12/2007 19:34  - (SA)  

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Cape Town - The contest for leadership positions in the ANC should not be seen in a negative light, President Thabo Mbeki said on Wednesday.

One had to accept that the ANC constitution allowed any member to run for any position in the party, he said in a SABC radio interview.

Mbeki said: "I think we've got to accept that, and so when people run for any position in the ANC that has to be very much part of the nature of the ANC."

It was part of its character and the expression of democracy.

"So I don't think we should read the contest for leadership positions in a negative light, but as an affirmation of democracy within the ANC," he said.

In a situation where people were contesting different positions, it was natural to expect them to "market themselves and say why I will be better in this position than somebody else".

This might not necessarily be in the history or tradition of the ANC, but once there were opposing candidates for different positions, they would want to explain themselves to the membership as to why they were better than the other candidates.

"And therefore you would get that campaigning in that context. I don't think it's avoidable," Mbeki said.

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