IN what could present the MDC with a fresh headache another
opposition party, bearing the name MDC Original, has been registered by the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).
According to a letter that was written by Zec chief
elections officer Utoile Silaigwana, pictured, MDC Original is headquartered in
Mutare and is now recognised as an official opposition party.
“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission acknowledges receipt of
your party profile documents, the contents of which have been noted.
“Your organisation has been included on Zec’s stakeholders
database and mailing list for notification when appropriate meetings that
require your input arise,” read Silaigwana’s letter.
This is the second party bearing the name MDC to be
registered after another outfit, MDC Zimbabwe, that is purportedly based in
Gweru, was registered last year.
Silaigwana yesterday confirmed to the Daily News on Sunday
the existence of the new party.
“We noted their existence. There is no registration
requirement of a political party, we just accept a party that comes to us as
long as they don’t have symbols that resemble another party, if a party has
prohibited symbols we can refuse notification of its existence,” said
Silaigwana.
Ironically, Zec last year refused to register another party
calling itself Zanu PF Original and thus its latest acceptance of the MDC
Original has been met with scorn by the country’s biggest opposition party led
by Nelson Chamisa.
In an interview with the Daily News on Sunday, MDC
secretary general Chalton Hwende said Zec, the commission that administers
electoral processes in Zimbabwe, has shown duplicity in the way it treats the
opposition and Zanu PF.
“As the MDC we see this as a continuous plot to destroy the
party, we are not worried because the people know their party. This exposes
Zec’s duplicity. They refused to recognise a party that was called Zanu PF
Original and now there are recognising a party bearing our name.
“We are going to court to protect our name because this
Zanu PF regime has run out of ideas and is now doing everything possible to
cause confusion among the people. However, the people know their president,
they will not be confused,” said Hwende. Daily News
0 comments:
Post a Comment