Tsvangirai confirms MDC-T participation in 2018 Polls

By Mlondolozi Ndlovu

MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai says his party will take part in the country’s harmonised elections in 2018, although continuing with its boycott of current by-elections in the country.

Briefing journalists in Harare on Tuesday, the ex-prime minister during the country’s inclusive government also said his party was still open to a possible coalition with fellow opposition parties currently gearing for a loose merger against Zanu PF.

“The party has taken a decision to prioritise election preparedness in the year 2017,” Tsvangirai said.

“All our structures across the country, across villages and towns will collapse into a grand election machinery, we will participate in the 2018 elections,” said Tsvangirai.”

However, the MDC-T’s approach to the country’s polls has been criticised for lack of policy clarity as the party has kept away from all by-elections held since its shock defeat by Zanu PF in 2013.

The MDC-T has vowed it will not take part in elections without electoral reforms under the Zanu PF led administration but has kept its eyes fixed on national elections in 2018.

In his Tuesday address, Tsvangirai highlighted that his party was galvanised by the opposition defeat of West African incumbents in Gambia and Ghana.

“We are heartened by the developments in Africa, where credible elections are taking place and where sitting parties and governments are conceding defeat,” Tsvangirai said.

“Ghana and the Gambia are such examples, even though Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh is now singing a different tune after initially conceding defeat.

“In our case, when a party in government is defeated, it withholds results for over a month to do what eight years ago it called “meticulous verification” of election results,” he said.

Tsvangirai, who has snubbed coalition talks currently spearheaded by a South African consultancy, said his party shall be party to the envisaged loose merger.

“The executive and council restated the party’s position on coalitions, which is consistent with our resolutions at Congress where we said we would work together with like-minded parties, the coalition partners will field one Presidential candidate and one Parliamentary and one Local government candidate per contested seat,” he said. Radio VOP