ASPIRING candidates from several political parties have
started submitting their nomination papers to the Zimbabwe Election Commission,
amid reports of serious bickering within MDC Alliance, as MDC-T supporters
refuse to recognise nominees fielded on behalf of the alliance.
Candidates are lodging their papers with Zec in a
pre-nomination exercise to avoid a last minute rush tomorrow when nomination
courts sit in various provincial capitals to approve contestants for the July
30 harmonised election.
The nomination court, which qualifies or disqualifies
candidates to contest in an election, sits at a time MDC-T factions are
fighting court battles over party ownership, name, symbols and logos.
Campaign material being used by Mr Nelson Chamisa and Dr
Thokozoni Khupe’s factions bear the same symbols and logos, leaving party
supporters confused.
With only a day to go before the nomination court sits,
information gathered by our Harare Bureau showed that MDC-T members and their
prospective candidates are reluctant to create space for aspirants from
alliance partners.
Mr Chamisa leads the alliance, which is a coalition of
seven political parties.
The parties are People’s Democratic Party led by Mr Tendai
Biti; MDC (Professor Welshman Ncube); Transform Zimbabwe (Mr Jacob Ngarivhume);
Zanu-Ndonga (Mr Denford Musiyarira); Multi-Racial Christian Democratic Party
(Mr Mathias Guchutu) and Zimbabwe People First (Mr Agrippa Mutambara).
Zanu-PF yesterday
said it had finalised its list of candidates at all levels. “We have started our nomination process and people are
filing their papers with Zec across the country,” the revolutionary party’s
secretary for legal affairs Cde Paul Mangwana said.
“So far I have not heard of any challenges and by the end
of the day we will be making an evaluation to see how many have successfully
filed their nomination papers. We have done this days before the nomination
court sits to deal with any operational challenges on time.”
Zanu-PF will field President Mnangagwa as its presidential
candidate. MDC Alliance spokesperson Prof Ncube said they were still
to finalise their list of candidates.
“We are working on the nomination forms as we speak in the
hope that we will be able to advance-file them to Zec before the end of day, at
least the ones for parliamentary elections,” he said.
“As for the local government elections, the candidates for
Parliament are working with local government candidates to make sure all their
papers are in order for submission at the relevant local government nomination
courts on Thursday.
“All the candidates are there. It is just a question of
working on the papers.”
Bickering in the alliance is rife in various provinces
including Harare, Matabeleland South, Masvingo and Manicaland.
MDC-T supporters are resisting imposition of candidates
from alliance partners and demonstrations and petitions are the order of the
day in places such as Chimanimani, where party supporters are rejecting former
Energy and Power Development deputy Minister Munacho Mutezo as their MDC
Alliance parliamentary candidate.
Mr Mutezo is from ZimPF, and MDC-T members prefer local
businessman, Mr Canaan Matiashe.
In Matabeleland South, power hungry MDC-T officials left
out in the parliamentary race are now working on derailing the coalition. They want seats allocated to Prof Ncube’s MDC.
In Masvingo, nomadic politician Mr Kudakwashe Bhasikiti is facing
resistance from the MDC-T in Mwenezi East where he was fielded as a candidate
for the alliance. MDC-T provincial chairperson for Masvingo, Mr James Gumbi,
has reportedly resigned because of the infighting. Insiders said Mr Gumbi is against the imposition
of Mr Bhasikiti whom he said worked against the MDC-T since its formation in
1999.
In Harare, supporters in Glen View South have petitioned Mr
Chamisa over the imposition of Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s daughter Vimbai, as the
constituency’s representative.
In Harare Central, MDC-T supporters are clamouring for
primary elections, as opposed to the imposition of Mr Murisi Zvizwai, with the
situation not clear on who will represent the party in Kuwadzana East between
Mr Chalton Hwende and youth activist Mr Shakespeare Mukoyi.
Mr Chamisa is the legislator for Kuwadzana East, but
supporters have been pissed off by his attempts to impose his friend Mr Hwende
to succeed him.
The MDC-T led by Dr Khupe said they were working on their
list of representatives.
“We are fielding candidates at all levels from Zambezi to
Limpopo,” said Dr Khupe’s deputy, Mr Obert Gutu. “It has been hectic, but we
are on it.”
Dr Joice Mujuru-led National People’s Party (NPP) could not
be reached for comment, as her assistants said she was busy. Zimbabwe
Development Party (ZDP) and the Voice of the People (VOP) said they were no
longer contesting the elections.
They said the elections would not be free and fair because
of “numerous electoral practices.”
“The outcome of these elections won’t be a reflection of
the true will of the people of Zimbabwe, but of the manipulated, hoodwinked,
suppressed and helpless electorate,” reads a joint statement by the party’s
leader Mr Kisinoti Mukwazhe (ZDP) and Mr Moreprecision Muzadzi (VOP).
“Observer missions like Sadc and Comesa have already
indicated that elections will be free, fair and credible without mentioning
grievances and ignoring concerns raised by most political stakeholders.”
Mr Mukwazhe and Mr Muzadzi recently approached the constitutional
court seeking to be considered for funding under the Political Parties
(Finance) Act, despite the fact that they did not qualify.
Chief Justice Luke Malaba dismissed the application, saying
a political party was not an income generating project, hence upstart political
outfits should not burden the courts with claims of a share from the election
campaign fund awarded in terms of the Act.
According to Zec’s election roadmap, the electoral body has
appointed constituency election officers and was yesterday busy holding
nomination court training and set up.
Herald
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