MDC-T sets new poll guidelines

via MDC-T sets new poll guidelines – NewsDay Zimbabwe July 18, 2014

The embattled former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC-T has unveiled guidelines for its October elective congress which will see newcomers and those who contested in last year’s general elections as independent candidates barred from contesting for positions at any level of the party.

The party yesterday announced that all party positions, including Tsvangirai’s would be up for grabs. Tsvangirai is likely to be challenged by former Energy minister Elias Mudzuri, who has not ruled out contesting the position.

The former Premier is on a whirlwind tour of all provincial structures to unveil the “templates” [guidelines] for the October congress scheduled for Harare.

Yesterday, he met the Midlands South provincial executive and Midlands North structures in Gweru and Kwekwe respectively behind closed doors.

Party spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora said Tsvangirai was unveiling the template, whose major highlight was to set minimum conditions for conducting the elective congress.

“We are moving in all the provinces to explain the template in terms of which the congress is going to be held. This template contains the code of conduct and the qualifications of members who are going to vote and those who will be voted for, but, most importantly, we are emphasising that every position at congress will be contested,” Mwonzora said.

Mwonzora said under the template, anyone wanting to contest for any position in the party should have served for at least two years at a lower level.

“For one to qualify for a position in an organ, he or she must have served at least two years in a lower organ. This is to say if a person wants to go to the provincial council, he or she must have served for two years in the district and if they want to contest in the national executive, they must have served for at least two years in the provincial council,” Mwonzora said.

He also said all MDC-T members who contested in July 31 elections as independent candidates would not be allowed to contest for any position in the party at the October congress.

“We have also defined a few offences, which include vote-buying, violence and other malpractices. If anyone is found guilty of these, they are automatically disqualified,” Mwonzora said.

The MDC-T said elections at district, provincial and national executive would be conducted by an independent body and not party members. Mwonzora said as part of a transparent ballot, the party would release a voters’ roll for all elections in advance to ensure that rogue members were not allowed to participate in the polls.

He said Tsvangirai was also aware that some members within the party were labelling those who were likely to challenge them at congress as members of “axed” party secretary-general Tendai Biti’s Renewal Team in a bid to gain advantage over them.

“In the MDC, being labelled a ‘renewal’ is indeed a kiss of death. In other words, it’s a form of competitive disadvantage and we are aware that there are some people who want to label others and we are going to take stern action against those people,” he said.

MDC-T supporters in Gweru chanted in praise of Tsvangirai when he emerged from the Midlands Hotel where he had attended a provincial assembly meeting.

Hordes of supporters who had gathered outside the hotel chanted that Tsvangirai was a “brave creature”.

“Save muri chikara ndimi moga [Tsvangira you are brave and the only one],” they chanted admirably while he responded by waving at them before he was whisked away in a maroon Mercedes Benz.
Some supporters shouted that despite the party split, Tsvangirai remained their “all-weather” leader.

“You are our all-weather leader and we are behind you,” they chanted.

Biti has led a breakaway of senior party officials calling for leadership renewal. Biti and his Renewal Team accuse Tsvangirai of glaring leadership deficiencies and they were not recognising the October congress, but instead plan to hold their own congress early next year.