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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
THE MDC Alliance yesterday said it will carry to the ballot the chaos that characterised its submission of nomination papers, conceding that votes would be split in some constituencies.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has since gazetted the names of candidates who will contest in the forthcoming elections.
MDC Alliance spokesperson Professor Welshman Ncube told The Chronicle yesterday that the alliance will carry the problem to election day.
“It’s not so much now whether they are two or three candidates who are nominated. It’s a question of whether between now and the election day, one or the other of the candidates will agree to step down so that we campaign for one candidate. If that happens, it will solve the problem even if the other candidates will appear on the ballot paper,” said Prof Ncube.
He said the coalition will try to persuade one candidate to drop out of the race where two appear under the coalition’s name as this could split their vote.
Prof Ncube said if that fails, they will rally behind what he called the official MDC Alliance candidate. He acknowledged that having more than one candidate per constituency or ward could split their vote.
Prof Ncube, however, said the MDC Alliance will pay a “little price” for splitting the vote at lower levels.
The MDC Alliance, he said, was more concerned with the presidential election where it is represented by Advocate Nelson Chamisa.
“Of course it creates the problem that there will still be a potential of dividing the vote but thankfully it would be limited to a few places, whereas if we didn’t have an alliance we will be competing against each other across the country,” he said.
“But now because of whatever mistake we had, we still have that situation in a limited way but also realise that the important office is the presidential office. And to that extent we have only one candidate for the presidential office. So it’s still a lot better than having to run against each other.”
@nqotshili
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