MDC Alliance president Mr Nelson Chamisa has blamed his
party’s dismal performance in the 2018 elections on shambolic preparations and
the imposition of candidates.
Speaking at the Bulawayo Press Club on Tuesday evening, Mr
Chamisa said his party lost the elections by its “own commissions and
omissions.”
MDC Alliance lost to the ruling Zanu-PF which garnered more
than two thirds majority in Parliament while Mr Chamisa was also defeated by
President Mnangagwa in the presidential poll.
Mr Chamisa said the party has power hungry individuals who
cling onto positions resulting in the MDC Alliance fielding double candidates.
“We had 32 constituencies where we had double candidates. I
can tell you that in those constituencies our combined vote is actually more
than Zanu-PF. So, you are right, we had problems and we are correcting those
problems. They are problems that are to do with a party that is too small. They
are also problems that come with size,” he said.
“The party has grown bigger than the capacities of most of
its leaders. So, we are building the capacity of our leadership at various
levels to manage this party, it’s a mass party. It’s an institution. Managing
them is something that requires capacity building.”
Mr Chamisa also said his party members were clouded by the
love of money in their decision-making hence engaging in corrupt and selfish
activities to line their pockets.
“We are embarking on a new candidate selection process that
will give more power to the branches as opposed to more power to the
adjudicating authority in the national election directorate, that is the
chairman. And we are also changing the signing and the authenticating
authorising measures in the party because that is what caused problems.
“People get money and then they sign for two candidates
because money has a way of clouding judgment, so we have to deal with that. We
need to deal with that and we are already doing that,” he said. Chronicle
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