MDC-T dismisses by-election trouncing

via MDC-T dismisses by-election trouncing 06 October 2014

THE MDC-T has denied violating its own pledge to boycott future polls in the country if the current Zanu PF government failed to reform the country’s biased electoral systems.

This follows its “trouncing” by Zanu PF during a Chitungwiza Ward 25 by-election weekend, where party candidate Kenneth Chinyaure polled a measly 91 votes against 993 votes cast in favour of Zanu PF’s Simpison Mhike.

The defeat by a party candidate in its stronghold sent the Zanu PF propaganda machine into overdrive, with claims President Robert Mugabe’s party had finally found a formula to overturn the opposition’s influence in urban areas.

Speaking to NewZimbabwe.com Monday, MDC-T national spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora denied his party fielded a candidate in the by-election.

Party leader Morgan Tsvangirai August this year told a press briefing his party would no longer take part in any by-election in the country due its skewed electoral systems.

“What happened is that by the time we announced our not participating in the elections, the nominations for the candidates had already happened and ballot papers had already been printed,” Mwonzora said.

Asked where the 91 votes cast in his party’s favour came from, Mwonzora said these were supporters who felt they could not miss any opportunity to vote against Zanu PF.

“Our supporters see our name there and the name of the candidate and sometimes the candidates are tempted once their names are there to try their luck but that does not shift our position that we are not participating.”

Following the weekend by election and many others which have been won by the ruling party, Zanu PF apologist Goodson Nguni said the victory proved the MDC-T’s urban support had collapsed.

“The MDC-T has lost their ground,” he said, “they do not have a good story to tell in Chitungwiza in terms of service delivery to the people.”

“There was a wave of protest vote against Zanu PF in the urban areas in the early 2000s, but people have realised that the MDC-T has nothing to offer.

“If general elections were to be held today, the MDC-T would be buried for good,” he said.

But Mwonzora was on hand to dismiss the assertions.

“We are maintaining the position that we are not going to participate in any by election until the electoral reforms are done and one of those reforms is that we want a voters’ roll.”