MDC Alliance members to nominate by-election candidates

THE Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance has said candidates for the March 26 by-elections would be nominated at grassroot level to allow for democracy to prevail.

The party also said recalled MPs and councillors would be allowed to contest if the communities endorse their candidature.

There are 28 vacant parliamentary and 117 council seats following the recall of MDC Alliance legislators and councillors countrywide.

Party spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said the party would be guided by its membership in the selection of candidates.

"The consistent position is that all candidates are going to come from communities as announced by president (Nelson) Chamisa last year under our citizens agenda for change now under the people's agenda," she said. "As we go towards by-elections, candidates will be subjected to an internal process, and a balance has to be struck between those who were recalled and obviously ensuring that the wishes of the citizens are respected.

"As we speak, the MDC Alliance is currently subjecting every single candidate to an internal review process which includes huge and widespread consultations with the citizenry because at the end of the day, the goal is to come up with a good candidate who is agreed to by the citizens, and the community they represent by way of consensus. We are already in the process of implementing community-driven candidate selection."

Meanwhile, Chamisa's party said it would not give up on the MDC Alliance name.

This followed MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora's recent letter to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) where he sought to bar Chamisa from using the MDC Alliance name and symbols.

MDC Alliance deputy national spokesperson Felix Magalela Sibanda told NewsDay that: "Mwonzora's moves show that he is just desperate for survival after Zanu-PF threw him under the bus. Only a competent court can set that declaration.

"Otherwise his sayings show signs of desperation and does not have any legality whatsoever. He is just an opportunist, traitor and sell-out. He has also realised that the Judiciary has seen that he is not reliable."

He accused the MDC-T leader of plotting to confuse opposition voters ahead of the by-elections.

"In the first place, he recalled our MPs and councillors accusing them of abandoning the MDC-T and joined a new party by the name of MDC Alliance. But today he is now so desperate that he has forgotten why he recalled our people. He is now just fighting for survival and we won't be pressured by him."