MDC Deputy Treasurer-General Chalton Hwende has indicated he will not contest for any post at the MDC Alliance elective congress scheduled for May.

Hwende said he arrived at the decision because he wants to dedicate his effort towards ensuring that party leader Nelson Chamisa gets elected.

Chamisa face stiff challenge from secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora as well as party vice president Elias Mudzuri.

“I have not been nominated for any position by any structure. For this congress I have decided to work full time on defending the people’s project and get our President Elected at Congress. So I won’t be accepting any nomination for the contested positions at Congress,” said Hwende, who is also the party’s legislator for Kuwadzana East.

The MDC Alliance congres has been set for 24 to 26 May this year.

Meanwhile, Hwende as also indicated that all alliance principals are free to contest for the available posts if they get nominated. Some of the principals to the opposition alliance include Jacob Ngarivhume and Rtd Brigadier Agrippa Mutambara.

However, there is bickering and simmering tensions over the contestable posts, with members in different camps reading from different constitutions.

Party president Nelson Chamisa’s camp says only four posts will be up for grabs while secretary general Douglas Mwonzora insists that all the 16 standing committee posts should be decided by the congress.

Some party supporters said it was not tenable that influential positions such as secretary general and organising secretary should be allowed to be decided by an individual or organ.

“The issue of how many posts would be contested came up in our last national council meeting recently and we agreed to refer to the constitution signed by Mr (Morgan) Tsvangirai, we have since done that. So all the 16 posts should be contested.

“This is congress, so there should be democracy nothing should stop a person from contesting any post if he or she has been nominated. All posts are up for contestation,” said Mwonzora.