Khupe’s MDC-T says to field by-election candidates as MDC Alliance

Name row erupts ahead of sitting of nomination court on October 9

Name row ... MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa attends the party's national executive committee meeting in Harare on Saturday, September 19, 2020

HARARE – The MDC-T party led by Thokozani Khupe declared on Saturday that it would contest upcoming by-elections as the MDC Alliance – the name of the party led by Nelson Chamisa.

The dramatic announcement was made by the party’s national chairman Morgen Komichi at the disputed Harvest House headquarters in central Harare during 21^st anniversary commemorations.

“From today we are the MDC Alliance,” Mwonzora declared. “The MDC-T is our name, but we are trading in elections as MDC Alliance.

“Imagine if we were to have an MP under the MDC-T banner, how will that MP relate to our MPs now known as MDC Alliance MPs?”

A controversial ruling by the Supreme Court in March said Chamisa was irregularly appointed as an MDC-T vice president by Morgan Tsvangirai in 2016, and his installation as interim leader when Tsvangirai died in February 2018 was therefore in breach of the party constitution.

Khupe was the only vice president elected at the last congress in 2014 as per the MDC-T constitution, and she should have taken over as interim leader pending an extraordinary congress, the court ruled.

Khupe – who took part at the last elections as leader of MDC-T gaining two proportional representation seats in parliament – used the court ruling to claim leadership of the MDC Alliance which won over a 100 parliamentary seats and controls most urban councils.

She has so far recalled 21 MDC Alliance legislators and 84 councillors, claiming that they won as MDC-T members, albeit in a coalition with other parties called the MDC Alliance. Khupe also moved to take control of the party headquarters in Harare, and funding due to the MDC Alliance from the government.

The recalls triggered by-elections which the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said would be held on December 5.

The nomination sits on October 5 to accept candidates for by-elections, and it is here that the two MDC factions will collide over who can enter their candidates in the elections as the MDC Alliance.

The MDC Alliance National Executive Committee met in Harare last Saturday, following which it declared: “The party restates that it is the MDC Alliance. It contested the 2018 elections as the MDC Alliance. As the alternative, it has MPs in parliament and councillors in local authorities. It has been victimised as the MDC Alliance and will win as the MDC Alliance. It will remain the MDC Alliance.”