MDC Alliance targets Diaspora vote

Published: 05 May 2018

THE MDC Alliance's desperation for votes in the coming elections has seen it targeting Diasporans hoping they can influence their relatives in Zimbabwe to vote for them.

Most Zimbabwean families are supported by their Diaspora based relatives. MDC Alliance presidential candidate Advocate Nelson Chamisa is in the United Kingdom canvassing for votes ahead of the coming election despite the fact that Diasporans are unlikely to participate in the national polls.

In an interview yesterday, MDC Alliance spokesperson and MDC president Professor Welshman Ncube admitted that the coalition was targeting local voters through their foreign based relatives.

"They (Diasporans) have capacity to campaign and persuade their relatives, their friends at home to participate in the election and equally they have the capacity to support particular candidates and particular constituencies, logistically, strategically, planning material, regalia…," said Prof Ncube.

"Those are some of the reasons why they are critical in this election. And that is why we continue to engage them directly in rallies such as the one that the Alliance candidate is going to have in the United Kingdom."

He said the MDC Alliance was also already on the ground campaigning in the country through holding star rallies and door to door campaigns.

However, he expressed disappointment over the disintegration of opposition parties saying it has weakened their chances of making an impact in the coming elections.

The formation of the MDC Alliance has seen several parties within it splitting, with the latest being the MDC-T.

"We have always regretted that the attempt to build unity have unfortunately somewhat incomprehensively caused divisions, when in fact working with others would make us more united," said Prof Ncube. "It is regrettable that there are those who have strenuously opposed working with others. We don't understand why consolidation which would give us better chance is opposed by some people. Obviously, having anti-alliance people in all parties weakens the alliance to some extent."
- online

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