Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter THE punch-drunk MDC-T has withdrawn from participating in all future by-elections in the wake of heavy de...
Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
THE punch-drunk MDC-T has withdrawn from participating in all future by-elections in the wake of heavy defeats at the hands of a resurgent Zanu-PF, party insiders have revealed.
The defeats have whittled the opposition party’s perceived dominance in urban areas where it now largely plays second fiddle to the revolutionary party, Zanu-PF.
The main opposition party, which is seeking an unconstitutional change of Government through street protests, has chickened out of the electoral ring after its latest humiliating defeat in Chitungwiza Ward 25 by-election on Saturday, where Zanu-PF’s Cde Simbiso Mhike polled 993 votes against a paltry 91 votes scored by Mr Kenneth Chinyaure (MDC-T) with the revolutionary party claiming over 80 percent of total votes cast.
Since it’s crashing defeat in the July 31 2013 harmonised elections, MDC-T continued to play second fiddle to Zanu-PF in local authority by-elections that have been held across the country.
The general message coming out of the wins by the ruling party in MDC-T’s former strongholds indicates that voters are no longer interested in the opposition party’s regime change agenda.
This forced the party to converge and reflect on how to deal with its waning support base, a situation that has seen it resolving to stop participating in future by-elections.
MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora confirmed yesterday that they had withdrawn from participating in by-elections citing what he called “an uneven playing field’’ skewed in favour of Zanu-PF.
“We have stopped participating in by-elections. We feel that the playing field is largely uneven.
“We need electoral reforms; we need access to election material like an electronic voters’ roll among other reforms. When the resolution was reached, some of the candidates had already been nominated and therefore appeared on the ballot paper particularly in Chitungwiza,” said Mr Mwonzora.
Despite the MDC-T‘s claims of an uneven playing field, the by-elections have been held under the same conditions in which the harmonised polls for July 31 2013 were held.
In Chitungwiza’s ward 25 two other independent candidates, Mr Cobbern Marwisa and Tapiwa Zengeya got 63 and 50 votes, respectively in an election in which the MDC-T in some polling stations got less votes than theindependent candidates.
For example, Mr Chinyaure (MDC-T) got a single vote while Mr Marwisa (Independent) got three votes at DDF Seke Hall B. At Seke Teachers’ College the MDC-T candidate polled five votes against Mr Marwisa’s nine.
The Chitungwiza by-election was held following the dismissal of Dr Fredrick Mabamba on charges of gross mismanagement of council funds and property.
This is the fourth by-election in an urban constituency and in all of them Zanu-PF has asserted its dominance either by reclaiming or retaining seats.
In January 2014, Zanu-PF’s Cde Maureen Nyemba polled 843 votes against the 835 garnered by Mr Albert Muponda of the MDC-T, with Mr Takura Gadzira of the NCA party receiving 76 votes, while independent candidate Jack Ethen Muzanenhamo got 26 votes.
In June, Zanu-PF’s Cde Charles Simbi polled 556 votes in Mkoba’s ward 12 while Mr Fortune Chifokoyo of the MDC-T and Richard Ndlovu of the NCA polled 486 and 64 votes, respectively.
Last month in Kadoma Ward 4, Mr Godfey Mavura of Zanu-PF got 503 votes while Fastmore Mandipota of the MDC-T polled 212 votes.
Zanu-PF has also continued to assert its dominance in several rural district council by-elections that have been held across the country.
The most recent one is where the revolutionary party’s Cde Typewriter Chiuswa won in Chivi ward 14 uncontested after MDC-T’s Mr Tawanda Chitagu withdrew from the race.
It has been the same story in Masvingo province where in Ward 32 in Zaka, Zanu-PF retained its leadership position with candidate Cde Togarepi Toruvanda scoring 861 votes in the by-election held last month.
The MDC-T’s Elias Mutava got 107 votes, while NCA candidate Enock Chikamhi received 62.
THE punch-drunk MDC-T has withdrawn from participating in all future by-elections in the wake of heavy defeats at the hands of a resurgent Zanu-PF, party insiders have revealed.
The defeats have whittled the opposition party’s perceived dominance in urban areas where it now largely plays second fiddle to the revolutionary party, Zanu-PF.
The main opposition party, which is seeking an unconstitutional change of Government through street protests, has chickened out of the electoral ring after its latest humiliating defeat in Chitungwiza Ward 25 by-election on Saturday, where Zanu-PF’s Cde Simbiso Mhike polled 993 votes against a paltry 91 votes scored by Mr Kenneth Chinyaure (MDC-T) with the revolutionary party claiming over 80 percent of total votes cast.
Since it’s crashing defeat in the July 31 2013 harmonised elections, MDC-T continued to play second fiddle to Zanu-PF in local authority by-elections that have been held across the country.
The general message coming out of the wins by the ruling party in MDC-T’s former strongholds indicates that voters are no longer interested in the opposition party’s regime change agenda.
This forced the party to converge and reflect on how to deal with its waning support base, a situation that has seen it resolving to stop participating in future by-elections.
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| MDC-T chickens out of by-elections |
“We have stopped participating in by-elections. We feel that the playing field is largely uneven.
“We need electoral reforms; we need access to election material like an electronic voters’ roll among other reforms. When the resolution was reached, some of the candidates had already been nominated and therefore appeared on the ballot paper particularly in Chitungwiza,” said Mr Mwonzora.
Despite the MDC-T‘s claims of an uneven playing field, the by-elections have been held under the same conditions in which the harmonised polls for July 31 2013 were held.
In Chitungwiza’s ward 25 two other independent candidates, Mr Cobbern Marwisa and Tapiwa Zengeya got 63 and 50 votes, respectively in an election in which the MDC-T in some polling stations got less votes than theindependent candidates.
For example, Mr Chinyaure (MDC-T) got a single vote while Mr Marwisa (Independent) got three votes at DDF Seke Hall B. At Seke Teachers’ College the MDC-T candidate polled five votes against Mr Marwisa’s nine.
The Chitungwiza by-election was held following the dismissal of Dr Fredrick Mabamba on charges of gross mismanagement of council funds and property.
This is the fourth by-election in an urban constituency and in all of them Zanu-PF has asserted its dominance either by reclaiming or retaining seats.
In January 2014, Zanu-PF’s Cde Maureen Nyemba polled 843 votes against the 835 garnered by Mr Albert Muponda of the MDC-T, with Mr Takura Gadzira of the NCA party receiving 76 votes, while independent candidate Jack Ethen Muzanenhamo got 26 votes.
In June, Zanu-PF’s Cde Charles Simbi polled 556 votes in Mkoba’s ward 12 while Mr Fortune Chifokoyo of the MDC-T and Richard Ndlovu of the NCA polled 486 and 64 votes, respectively.
Last month in Kadoma Ward 4, Mr Godfey Mavura of Zanu-PF got 503 votes while Fastmore Mandipota of the MDC-T polled 212 votes.
Zanu-PF has also continued to assert its dominance in several rural district council by-elections that have been held across the country.
The most recent one is where the revolutionary party’s Cde Typewriter Chiuswa won in Chivi ward 14 uncontested after MDC-T’s Mr Tawanda Chitagu withdrew from the race.
It has been the same story in Masvingo province where in Ward 32 in Zaka, Zanu-PF retained its leadership position with candidate Cde Togarepi Toruvanda scoring 861 votes in the by-election held last month.
The MDC-T’s Elias Mutava got 107 votes, while NCA candidate Enock Chikamhi received 62.
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