Cracks emerge in MDC Alliance

Published: 08 May 2018

FRESH cracks are emerging in the MDC Alliance with some members accusing MDC-T of holding primary elections in constituencies that have been allocated to other political parties within the alliance.

It is understood that despite having agreed to allocate each party within the alliance constituencies, the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC-T is allegedly holding primary elections and in some instances, allotting its candidates constituencies reserved for other alliance members.

Some of the constituencies are Mberengwa North and South that were reserved for Transform Zimbabwe, but MDC-T has since imposed Messrs Takavafira Zhou and Davis Shoko, respectively as its 2018 harmonised elections candidates.

MDC-T Midlands South spokesperson Mr Munyaradzi Mutandavari confirmed that his party had since cleared Messrs Zhou and Shoko to contest in Mberengwa North and South constituencies in the forthcoming harmonised elections.

"We received 18 CVs for 14 constituencies in Midlands South province. Initially, MDC-T had seven constituencies, but now has nine because we took two other constituencies - Mberengwa North and South that were earlier allocated to Transform Zimbabwe led by Mr Jacob Ngarivhume," he said.

MDC-T acting chairperson Mr Morgan Komichi denied that they were allotting candidates in constituencies reserved for other alliance members, but alleged that it was compiling a list of its members who were eligible to represent the party in the next harmonised elections.

He said MDC-T was identifying its aspiring candidates in all constituencies including those allocated to other alliance members, but they will not stand in the forthcoming harmonised elections.

"It is not true that we are holding primary elections in constituencies allocated to other members of the alliance.

"What is happening is that as a party we are coming up with a panel list of aspiring candidates in each and every constituency including those given to other alliance members. This is for our own database. We are just identifying people with potential of representing the party in elections. We do this every time when we have harmonised elections. These people apply just to be on the panel. This does not mean they will stand," he said.
- the herald