Misheck Shambare
Movement for Democratic Change Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora yesterday maintained their stance that they will not participate by elections of MDC renewal called MPs although the national council is meeting over the issue.
This come amid the recall of 21 MDC renewal team Member of Parliaments (MPs) by the speaker of parliament on the instruction of MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai that the MPS have ceased to MDC-T members therefore their parliament seats are vacant.
Speaking on an interview in the Dailynews , Douglas Mwonzora said they will not take part in these elections until the Zanu PF led government has resolved disparities in electoral reforms.
“Our decision not to participate in elections is based on our commitment to electoral reforms. We are trying to force the government into agreeing to electoral reforms,” he said.
MDC has not assigned candidates in the by elections in Mt Darwin and Chirumanzu-Zibagwe after the seats became vacant on the ouster of former Vice President Joice Mujuru and the swearing in of Emerson Mnangagwa into presidium which automatically declares his seat vacant according to the constitution of Zimbabwe.
Mwonzora then added that the government is slowly admitting into the demands of MDC in electoral reforms.
“There are already signs of the government yielding to the pressure that we have put in,” said Mwonzora.
The electoral reforms which the MDC are vying for are aligned according to the new constitution and they are not only into practice.
Independent political analyst projected that the decision by MDC to recall the MDC renewal MPS is betrayal of democracy and giving Zanu PF seats on a silver platter.
However Mwonzora sets the record straight that they have not betrayed democracy but they following the requirements of the constitution.
“Electoral reforms do not take much time at all to be aligned they are contained in the new constitution any way. Theoretically, the electoral reforms can take even one day to put into place,” he added.
Mwonzora then reiterated that they had to recall the MPs because they were riding on MDC-T ticket in parliament yet they are with another party.
“Here is a bunch of MPs who were no longer coming for caucuses, who were no longer getting instructions from the party and who were bad mouthing the leadership of the pqrty and doing disservices to their constituencies,” he said.
On utterances made by MDC Renewal founder, Tendai Biti that MDC-T are working in cahoots with their Zanu PF partner in government, Mwonzora dismissed the claims and labeled Biti confused.
“Tendai Biti is very confused at this point in time. I don’t think he expected that Zanu PF which had promised that they would protect him, would infact betray him,” he said.
