News / National
'It's critical for me to be voted president,' says Tsvangirai
15 Sep 2017 at 06:49hrs | Views
MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai said opposition parties decided to form the MDC Alliance, an opposition coalition to contest President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF in next year's general elections because taking over the presidency was the only way to transform the lives of Zimbabweans.
Addressing party supporters at Mtengwe building in Gokwe South on Sunday, Tsvangirai said at one point MDC-T held 100 parliamentary seats and controlled urban councils, but that did not translate to the desired political change.
"At one point we were controlling 32 urban councils in this country, but the big question is who benefited from that," Tsvangirai said.
"We are saying, while it is important to have [majority] MPs and councillors, it is critically important to get the grand prize [presidency] and that grand prize is the one that would transform the lives of people."
The former Prime Minister said as long as Mugabe remained as the country's leader he would continue his arrogance of meddling in the affairs of councils and failing to implement the new Constitution.
The MDC-T leader said there was also need for the party to speed up the ward election strategy that includes engaging church leaders, students, war veterans and vendors, among other stakeholders.
"We should all unite as Zimbabweans to remove the devil [Mugabe] amidst us because it would not help to say I belong to this or that party then we are all in the same pitfall," he said.
Last month, Tsvangirai's MDC-T, Welshman Ncube's MDC formation, Tendai Biti's People's Democratic Party, Agrippa Mutambara (Zimbabwe People First) and Jacob Ngarivhume (Transform Zimbabwe) were among other opposition parties that formed the MDC Alliance.
Addressing party supporters at Mtengwe building in Gokwe South on Sunday, Tsvangirai said at one point MDC-T held 100 parliamentary seats and controlled urban councils, but that did not translate to the desired political change.
"At one point we were controlling 32 urban councils in this country, but the big question is who benefited from that," Tsvangirai said.
"We are saying, while it is important to have [majority] MPs and councillors, it is critically important to get the grand prize [presidency] and that grand prize is the one that would transform the lives of people."
The former Prime Minister said as long as Mugabe remained as the country's leader he would continue his arrogance of meddling in the affairs of councils and failing to implement the new Constitution.
The MDC-T leader said there was also need for the party to speed up the ward election strategy that includes engaging church leaders, students, war veterans and vendors, among other stakeholders.
"We should all unite as Zimbabweans to remove the devil [Mugabe] amidst us because it would not help to say I belong to this or that party then we are all in the same pitfall," he said.
Last month, Tsvangirai's MDC-T, Welshman Ncube's MDC formation, Tendai Biti's People's Democratic Party, Agrippa Mutambara (Zimbabwe People First) and Jacob Ngarivhume (Transform Zimbabwe) were among other opposition parties that formed the MDC Alliance.
Source - newsday
