MDC-T says it is negotiating with Alliance partners to field the strongest candidate in each area

The Nelson Chamisa led faction of the Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai today said it has completed 80 percent of its candidate selection but is now negotiating with its Alliance partners to field the strongest candidate in each area.

The seven Alliance partners were allocated constituencies to contest with the MDC-T expected to field 114 of the 210 House of Assembly candidates.

Party chairman Morgen Komichi said the Alliance partners were now working together to field the best candidate for the area.

“Negotiations are taking place among our Alliance Partners in areas where, for instance, our candidate is weak and an alliance candidate is strong, so that a stronger candidate will stand in such constituencies. In this process, we have also respected the women and youth quota,” he said.

There have been complaints of vote rigging and imposition of candidates but Komichi said the candidate selection was by consensus.

“We concluded the consensus building process, and we attended to the consensus appeals,” he said.

“We then moved to the next level which was the holding of primary elections. We are pleased that our elections where conducted by an independent commission in a very democratic way. We are pleased as a party.

“We are currently dealing with all the primary elections appeals. The Appeals tribunal is ceased with these matters. However, the party is investigating allegations of violence and those who are found wanting will be penalised.

“80% of the constituencies have been covered and we will be done with all the gap constituencies by this Saturday.”

There have been reports that Chamisa has invited Joice Mujuru and her National People’s Party and Dumiso Dabengwa and his Zimbabwe African People Union to join him.

It is not clear how the two parties would be accommodated in the seat allocation or whether they will contest independently.

In 2008 the MDC-T won 100 seats and its sister party the MDC led by Welshman Ncube, who is now part of the Alliance, won 10 seats and thus formed a majority of 110 seats against ZANU-PF’s 99 seats but the two were not able to form a government.

Instead they entered into an inclusive government where ZANU-PF ended up with more cabinet posts than the two parties combined.

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