Ncube’s party selecting candidates for polls

The Welshman Ncube-led MDC has commenced its candidate selection process for the 2018 elections under the MDC Alliance banner despite reports of an emerging rift in the mainstream MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai.

According to the MDC Alliance agreement, all coalition partners have been allocated constituencies in which to contest for the National Assembly and council seats.

Parties to the alliance have already agreed on veteran opposition leader Tsvangirai as their presidential candidate.

Currently, the alliance is composed of Tsvangirai’s MDC, Ncube’s MDC, the People’s Democratic Party, Transform Zimbabwe, the Multiracial Christian Democrats and Zanu Ndonga.

In a memo sent out to provincial chairpersons by the party secretary-general, Miriam Mushayi at the weekend which Southern News got sight of, the candidates selection process will start on January 3 till month end.

“You are here notified that the process of candidate selection will commence on 3 January 2018 and is expected to be completed by 31st January 2018. Accordingly, you are hereby requested to receive applications from interested candidates and forward them to my office for vetting. The closing date for the receipt of applications shall be 14 January 2018,” reads part of the memo.

“The constituencies allocated to the MDC by the MDC Alliance agreement from which applications are set out below in respect of each province. No applications will be entertained from outside the constituencies allocated to the MDC,” Mushayi added.

According to the memo, MDC will contest in 32 constituencies which include Dzivarasekwa, Kuwadzana, Bulawayo East (which has already agreed on David Coltart as its candidate), Luveve, Tsholotsho North, Tsholotsho South, Lupane East, Lupane West, Gwanda Central, Insiza South, Gwanda North, and Bulilima West among others.

This comes as a rift over sharing of seats among MDC Alliance partners seems to have rocked the coalition with mainstream MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora claiming that his party would field candidates in all constituencies until such time the coalition has finalised its negotiations.

These claims were immediately dismissed by Tsvangirai in a statement on Saturday.

“The statement… purportedly under my authority, but issued by our secretary-general (Mwonzora) is unfortunate, misleading and grossly false.

“I would like to state categorically that the MDC-T entered into an electoral alliance agreement in good faith with its partners on August 5, 2017. That agreement includes seat allocation and is binding on all parties,” Tsvangirai said in the statement. Daily News