Mwonzora says Chamisa is a brand MDC cannot afford to lose

Movement for Democratic Change secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora who trounced former organising secretary Nelson Chamisa at the just ended party congress reducing him to an ordinary member says the party will not dump Chamisa because he is a brand that the party cannot afford to lose.  “If the truth is to be told, he is a brand which the MDC could also be identified with. He is a respected politician, mature and an asset to the party. He is definitely going to be appointed by the party in the National Executive Council which is the MDC’s highest decision-making organ because of the wisdom he has shown throughout the years,” Mwonzora told New Zimbabwe.Com. Chamisa was beaten by Mwonzora who polled 2 464 votes against his 1 756, though Chamisa had been endorsed by 11 party provinces while Mwonzora was backed by only one. It is not clear how party supporters will feel if Chamisa is brought back into the national executive because most said they had voted him out because they felt he was responsible for last year’s loss in the national elections where the MDC lost 59 seats that it bagged in the 2008 elections to end up with only 41 seats in the lower house. They accused him of interfering with party structures and imposing candidates that were not popular with the people. Party leader Morgan Tsvangirai appoints 36 members of the 54-member national executive.

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