News / National
MDC Alliance morphs into party
01 Sep 2018 at 09:14hrs | Views
MDC Alliance principals have welcomed the idea of transforming the loose electoral coalition into a political party going forward in order to build a formidable opposition against President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF.
Zimbabwe has had more than 100 political parties, but the majority have remained insignificant and without basic support to pose a threat to the ruling party, save for the mainstream
This came after Nelson Chamisa's MDC-T met in Harare on Wednesday and upheld the decision to morph into a party.
In separate interviews yesterday, leaders of the seven parties in the MDC Alliance indicated that they were willing to unite and have a single party.
MDC leader Welshman Ncube, who is also alliance spokesperson, said the issue was not about former MDC-T members re-joining the Chamisa-led party, but the integration of the whole alliance in the party.
"It is unfortunate that whoever prepared the statement after the MDC national council meeting misrepresented the whole issue.
It is not about former MDC members, it is about all alliance partners," Ncube said.
"The correct sequence of events was that all the MDC Alliance principals met before the MDC council meeting and unanimously agreed to integrate.
All the seven political parties committed themselves to integrate.
"The MDC council meeting was simply considering the position of the principals of the MDC Alliance."
The MDC Alliance, which comprises MDC-T, People's Democratic Party (PDP), Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF), Multiracial Christian Democrats (MCD), MDC, Zanu Ndonga and Transform Zimbabwe (TZ), was launched August 5, 2017 for purposes of the just-ended harmonised election.
Tendai Biti's PDP said it was ready to the part of the arrangement.
"We are in total agreement in word and deed," spokesperson Jacob Mafume said.
"We are one unit with one leader since the election.
We have won a huge victory for the people, which we need to reclaim together.
We cannot pretend to be separate when we are one."
TZ leader Jacob Ngarivhume said his executive would meet next week to deliberate on the issue.
"Our executive will decide.
We are meeting as an executive to map the way forward," he said.
ZimPF leader Agrippa Mutambara said there were many advantages to unity and said even though he was in total agreement with it, he would refer the issue to his executive to decide.
"We worked together during the election period as an alliance and we stood together even though we lost the Constitutional Court challenge.
I think the alliance was something very good and it is my belief that we must solidify ourselves and explore and develop it further," Mutambara said.
"We haven't agreed as yet, but we are considering it and there are many advantages to that, but we still have to take it to the party."
Zanu Ndonga leader Aaron Sakuinje said the alliance was formed to stay forever and he believed that making it a one grand party would best serve the purpose, while MCD special presidential adviser Sabastian Mubvumbi said they were in agreement and would like a technical team to be set up to guide the whole process up to congress.
Zimbabwe has had more than 100 political parties, but the majority have remained insignificant and without basic support to pose a threat to the ruling party, save for the mainstream
This came after Nelson Chamisa's MDC-T met in Harare on Wednesday and upheld the decision to morph into a party.
In separate interviews yesterday, leaders of the seven parties in the MDC Alliance indicated that they were willing to unite and have a single party.
MDC leader Welshman Ncube, who is also alliance spokesperson, said the issue was not about former MDC-T members re-joining the Chamisa-led party, but the integration of the whole alliance in the party.
"It is unfortunate that whoever prepared the statement after the MDC national council meeting misrepresented the whole issue.
It is not about former MDC members, it is about all alliance partners," Ncube said.
"The correct sequence of events was that all the MDC Alliance principals met before the MDC council meeting and unanimously agreed to integrate.
All the seven political parties committed themselves to integrate.
"The MDC council meeting was simply considering the position of the principals of the MDC Alliance."
The MDC Alliance, which comprises MDC-T, People's Democratic Party (PDP), Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF), Multiracial Christian Democrats (MCD), MDC, Zanu Ndonga and Transform Zimbabwe (TZ), was launched August 5, 2017 for purposes of the just-ended harmonised election.
Tendai Biti's PDP said it was ready to the part of the arrangement.
"We are in total agreement in word and deed," spokesperson Jacob Mafume said.
"We are one unit with one leader since the election.
We have won a huge victory for the people, which we need to reclaim together.
We cannot pretend to be separate when we are one."
TZ leader Jacob Ngarivhume said his executive would meet next week to deliberate on the issue.
"Our executive will decide.
We are meeting as an executive to map the way forward," he said.
ZimPF leader Agrippa Mutambara said there were many advantages to unity and said even though he was in total agreement with it, he would refer the issue to his executive to decide.
"We worked together during the election period as an alliance and we stood together even though we lost the Constitutional Court challenge.
I think the alliance was something very good and it is my belief that we must solidify ourselves and explore and develop it further," Mutambara said.
"We haven't agreed as yet, but we are considering it and there are many advantages to that, but we still have to take it to the party."
Zanu Ndonga leader Aaron Sakuinje said the alliance was formed to stay forever and he believed that making it a one grand party would best serve the purpose, while MCD special presidential adviser Sabastian Mubvumbi said they were in agreement and would like a technical team to be set up to guide the whole process up to congress.
Source - newsday
