Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
THE MDC Alliance has conceded that the absence of its principal leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai will affect their chances of positively influencing the electorate, as it prepares to campaign for elections.
In an interview yesterday, MDC Alliance spokesperson Professor Welshman Ncube said the opposition alliance will start its campaigns over the weekend.
Prof Ncube backed Mr Tsvangirai, who is battling cancer of the colon, as the alliance presidential candidate saying coalition partners are not reading much into his retirement hint last week.
“Everyone has read his New Year message as a hint that it might be an appropriate time to hand over to a younger generation but he is the alliance candidate for now,” said Prof Ncube.
“He has not formally advised us that he intends to stand down . . . So until that happens we will continue as an alliance to support his candidature as agreed in the alliance document.”
Mr Tsvangirai is on medical leave from his MDC-T party and has delegated one of his deputies Mr Nelson Chamisa to stand on his behalf on matters to do with the MDC Alliance.
Prof Ncube said starting on Saturday the alliance will conduct rallies that will spread across the country.
He said the absence of Mr Tsvangirai at the rallies will probably affect the coalition’s performance in the coming elections.
“Of course if he is not well enough to be on the campaign trail on a daily basis particularly, once an election has been declared. Obviously that will affect the alliance. But we have sufficient experience within the alliance of foot soldiers who have been in the trenches for a very long time who will be able to basically campaign and continue mobilising the masses,” he said.
Prof Ncube said the alliance principals were concerned that some of party members in the opposition were still opposed to the formation of the coalition.
MDC-T deputy president Dr Thokozani Khupe, among other senior party members has voiced disgruntlement over the formation of the MDC Alliance especially in Matabeleland region.
Prof Ncube said although leaders were against the coalition, grassroots supporters were supportive of it.
He urged members who were against the coalition to also toe the line.
Prof Ncube said the MDC Alliance was encouraged by the progress made by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission in registering voters with nearly five million registrants having been captured.
He said the alliance partners were only concerned that Bulawayo, Matabeleland South and Harare had not recorded the much needed number of voters.
@nqotshili
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