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party’s officials in public bodies.
“We at the Vigil don’t doubt the confusion of the MDC. After all (Finance Minister) Tendai Biti has been touring the world expressing his admiration for (President) Mugabe and saying how the economy is poised to power ahead.’’
Zimbabwe Virgil’s damning assessment of MDC-T’s electoral chances comes hard on the heels of two unflattering surveys by the US-based group, Freedom House, and Afrobarometer that said President Mugabe and Zanu-PF would win polls ahead of Mr Tsvangirai and the MDC-T.
The Freedom House survey showed that support for MDC-T had fallen from 38 percent in 2010 to 20 percent this year while support for Zanu-PF grew to 31 percent from 17 percent, over the same period.
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The survey also found that President Mugabe would command the support of 31 percent of voters in a presidential election, compared to 19 percent for Mr Tsvangirai.
The survey said Zanu-PF had clear programmes such as the land reform and other empowerment programmes to sell to the electorate while the “Change” mantra pushed by MDC-T had lost steam.
The Afrobarometer survey, entitled “Voting Intentions in Zimbabwe: A Margin of Terror?”, also put Zanu-PF ahead of MDC-T, but said another coalition government was likely.
MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora, however, disputed Zimbabwe Virgil’s findings saying his party remained the most popular in the country.
“The MDC-T is the most popular party in the land and the most people- centred party in the land.
“We are the only pa officials from council.
“The people of Zimbabwe are not foolish and will see for themselves, but whether it will work against us (exposing corrupt officials) we do not mind as long as we ensure that people are not shortchanged by the leadership purporting to be MDC-T representatives,” he said.
Mr Mwonzora said the Zimbabwe Vigil could also be mistaken in the estimates because they were not on the ground to assess issues first hand.
However, Zanu-PF spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo, said there was no way MDC-T was going to win the next general elections.
He said MDC-T had no clear programmes that appeal to people.
“We have always said there is no way MDC-T can win the forthcoming general elections. They have no other programme except to say ‘Mugabe must go’ and ‘good governance’ which people do not eat anyway.
“Zanu-PF has clear programmes such as land reform and empowerment of the indigenous people,” he said.
Cde Gumbo said corruption was rampant within the ranks of the MDC-T.
“It is the MDC-T which is corrupt. They (MDC-T) have done their investigations and discovered that corruption is deep rooted in their party. The firing of councillors
by MDC-T was just a scratch of the surface because corruption starts right from the top of the party. It is a corrupt party with no agenda,” said Cde Gumbo.
The Zimbabwe Vigil is one of a number of the so-called pro-democracy and Western funded groups in the Diaspora that have in the past made unsubstantiated claims against the Zimbabwe Government and its officials especially from Zanu PF as part of the wider regime change agenda.
They have conducted demonstrations at the Zimbabwe Embassy in the UK since 2002.
Some of its members heckled Prime Minister Tsvangirai soon after the formation of the inclusive Government when he urged them to return home and join the reconstruction of the economy devastated by a decade of illegal sanctions-induced recession.
Online Reporter