President Emmerson Mnangagwa pronounced that elections will
be held on August 23.
CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said the opposition party
would not succumb to Zanu PF pressure to release the names of its candidates.
CCC abandoned primary elections and adopted what it
described as a citizen-centred selection process where ‘ordinary citizens’ were given a chance to
select representatives of their choice.
An independent selection panel led by human rights defender
Rashid Mahiya is overseeing the selection process of the party’s candidates.
“What’s beyond doubt is that our candidate selection
process is firmly within the time frames we had set for the completion of the
process and we will have a full candidate list well in time for the nomination court, which is what the law
requires,” Mahere said.
“Zanu PF is obsessed with trying to find out the internal
workings of our organisation.
“Regrettably for them, they don’t get to dictate our
timelines and manner of operation.
“Once all processes are complete, our candidate list will
be announced at the appropriate time.
“This is one of the most important pillars for us to
achieve our overarching goal, which is to secure a citizens’ victory for
change.”
CCC leader Nelson Chamisa last week said the party’s
candidate selection process was a “done deal”.
The nomination court is set for June 21.
Mahere told The Standard that the party would not rush to
release the names of its candidates.
“It was never going to be an overnight process,” Mahere
said.
“Selecting the right representative for each ward and
constituency across the nation cannot be superficial or rushed.”
Chamisa will, for the second time, face off against bitter
rival Mnangagwa who came into power after a coup that toppled long-time ruler
Robert Mugabe in 2017.
In by-elections held last year, a month after the party was
formed, CCC won 19 of the 28 parliamentary seats on offer and the majority of
122 municipal seats.
CCC is an offshoot of the MDC Alliance and the Chamisa-led
party was formed after Douglas Mwonzora controversially seized control of MDC-T
following a Supreme Court ruling that said Morgan Tsvangirai’s succession was
unconstitutional.
A poll by a London-based public relations organisation, the
SABI Strategy Group, commissioned by the South African Brenthurst Foundation
late last year said 53% of respondents said they would vote for the 45-year-old
Chamisa while 40% said they would vote for the incumbent.
An Afrobarometer survey in February this year said the
opposition enjoyed a four-point advantage (48%) over the ruling Zanu PF (44%)
in voting preferences. Standard
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