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Tsvangirai to boycott elections until Biti is fired from Parliament
12 Mar 2015 at 04:09hrs | Views
MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai says his party will not be taking part in any election in the country until the government makes electoral reforms demanded by his party.
"We've stated a position, we've a congress resolution that unless we've reforms, we can't participate to legitimise an election and that's the position of the party. We can't participate unless there're reforms," Tsvangirai told reporters at the Bulawayo Press Club last night.
The former Prime Minister was responding to a question on the party's position if Parliament expels the 21 MDC-T legislators and Senators who broke away from his party and are now members of the United MDC.
Tsvangirai's party has launched a fresh bid with the Speaker of Parliament to have the 21 MPs expelled from Parliament and their seats declared vacant for allegedly "crossing the floor", which is not allowed under Parliament rules.
The MDC-T leader emphasised that his party was not boycotting elections but putting conditions to the government to act on electoral reforms as stated by the constitution.
"Please take out the word boycott because we haven't boycotted any election, but we're putting conditions that we need elections that are free and fair. We need reforms before elections are conducted, we're only prefacing that we need reforms," he stated.
The MPs facing the boot staged a Congress where they said they had expelled Tsvangirai, and dubbed themselves MDC Renewal Team. MDC Renewal last month forged a coalition with the MDC led by Professor Welshman Ncube to form the United Movement for Democratic Change (UMDC).
If the MDC-T boycotts by-elections that would be called to replace the legislators, in the event that they are expelled from Parliament, it would leave the door open to a two-horse race between Zanu-PF and UMDC.
Tsvangirai would be down to 31 MPs, while Zanu-PF would have the chance to increase its overwhelming majority of 160 seats.
Last week, MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu contradicted Tsvangirai's stance when he said the party was ready to field candidates to replace the 'rebels'.
Tsvangirai criticised the formation of splinter MDC formations, but said it was not a new phenomenon that political parties fragment.
"Democracy doesn't mean mobocracy. We need discipline, the MDC hasn't fragmented because of lack of democracy but egos. I didn't enter politics to be liked but to be respected," he boasted.
Meanwhile, Tsvangirai refused to be drawn on the suspension of the party's Bulawayo provincial vice chairperson, Dorcas Sibanda, insisting that the matter would be handled internally.
Tsvangirai yesterday met MDC councillors before touring council projects such as the Burnside Water Criterion, Montrose road works, Emhlangeni stands and visited vendors at the market along Fife Street.
Today, he is expected to meet residents in Nketa, Magwegwe and Pumula.
He will meet the business community tomorrow at a breakfast meeting to be held at a local hotel.
"We've stated a position, we've a congress resolution that unless we've reforms, we can't participate to legitimise an election and that's the position of the party. We can't participate unless there're reforms," Tsvangirai told reporters at the Bulawayo Press Club last night.
The former Prime Minister was responding to a question on the party's position if Parliament expels the 21 MDC-T legislators and Senators who broke away from his party and are now members of the United MDC.
Tsvangirai's party has launched a fresh bid with the Speaker of Parliament to have the 21 MPs expelled from Parliament and their seats declared vacant for allegedly "crossing the floor", which is not allowed under Parliament rules.
The MDC-T leader emphasised that his party was not boycotting elections but putting conditions to the government to act on electoral reforms as stated by the constitution.
"Please take out the word boycott because we haven't boycotted any election, but we're putting conditions that we need elections that are free and fair. We need reforms before elections are conducted, we're only prefacing that we need reforms," he stated.
The MPs facing the boot staged a Congress where they said they had expelled Tsvangirai, and dubbed themselves MDC Renewal Team. MDC Renewal last month forged a coalition with the MDC led by Professor Welshman Ncube to form the United Movement for Democratic Change (UMDC).
If the MDC-T boycotts by-elections that would be called to replace the legislators, in the event that they are expelled from Parliament, it would leave the door open to a two-horse race between Zanu-PF and UMDC.
Last week, MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu contradicted Tsvangirai's stance when he said the party was ready to field candidates to replace the 'rebels'.
Tsvangirai criticised the formation of splinter MDC formations, but said it was not a new phenomenon that political parties fragment.
"Democracy doesn't mean mobocracy. We need discipline, the MDC hasn't fragmented because of lack of democracy but egos. I didn't enter politics to be liked but to be respected," he boasted.
Meanwhile, Tsvangirai refused to be drawn on the suspension of the party's Bulawayo provincial vice chairperson, Dorcas Sibanda, insisting that the matter would be handled internally.
Tsvangirai yesterday met MDC councillors before touring council projects such as the Burnside Water Criterion, Montrose road works, Emhlangeni stands and visited vendors at the market along Fife Street.
Today, he is expected to meet residents in Nketa, Magwegwe and Pumula.
He will meet the business community tomorrow at a breakfast meeting to be held at a local hotel.
Source - chronicle
