Nelson Chamisa
Upenyu Chaota
BIKITA – MDC-T leader, Nelson Chamisa has warned members of his party against imposition of candidates particularly in Masvingo where the selection process has been marred by deep controversy.
Chamisa was addressing a fully subscribed rally at Nyika growth point last week where he said his party will have shadow candidates in all constituencies even those allocated to alliance partners just in case the other partners put forward candidates who lack popular appeal.
“A candidate should come from the people following all the democratic processes of our party. Masvingo province, listen to this word, no one has the power to impose a candidate at any level,” said Chamisa.
“All our candidates are chosen by the people. There is no candidate who is going to come from the top in form of imposition,” he added.
Chamisa said all the aspiring candidates should submit their Curriculum Vitae (CVs) that will then be vetted at national level with successful applicants being allowed to go for primaries.
“All aspiring candidates please submit your CVs through the proper channels. We are going to look into the CVs and your history so that we establish where you stand with regards to the party.
“We will send back the names of all those who would have sailed through the vetting process so that you choose the final candidate through primaries. Feel free, no one is going to be coerced. We are a movement for democratic change and we believe in popular democracy.
“Leaders should be subjected to appointment by popular appeal,” said Chamisa.
The candidate selection process in Masvingo province primarily in Masvingo Urban has of late drawn a lot of negative attention over perceived widespread irregularities that saw some candidates purportedly being disqualified without any apparent reasons.
Both the ruling party Zanu PF and the main opposition MDC-T are facing challenges in maintaining harmony in their respective candidate selection processes with many disqualified candidates disputing the fairness of the processes.politics
