Own Correspondent|Senior MDC sources have revealed that the party is at crossroads trying to make sure that current Vice President Professor Welshman Ncube retains his position in order “to save the party.”

The sources indicated that Ncube is being pushed to the position primarily for what they call regional balance and secondly because he was the big brains behind the formulation of the MDC Alliance with the late MDC founding President Morgan Tsvangirai.

The tactical protection of Ncube means that the race for the Vice President post will likely come down to one bruising political fight between Tendai Biti and Morgen Komichi.

“Ncube will be allowed to win somehow. It will be a disaster if he were not to and the party would not want to be sucked into that sticky situation.

“This leaves one slot for the vice presidency meaning Biti and Komichi with (Elias) Mudzuri, a distant outsider,” the insiders said.

“Komichi has remained loyal to the party and president (Nelson Chamisa). He probably deserves it but capacity wise, Biti is way ahead but very ambitious. It’s a political banana skin for both the party and president.”

Biti who is totally against the protection of Ncube questioned the election commission during a briefing on how they are going to make sure that no ballot papers stuffed probably by the party system in order to rescue Ncube.

“What safeguards have you (independent election commission) put in place to make sure there is no ballot stuffing,” the former party secretary general said.

Mfundo Mlilo who is heading the electoral commission said the commission had enough capacity to deal with all concerns.

Another source said Ncube will only win if “there is political engineering. He is not very popular but the ethnic card will save him. The party will make sure he sails through.”

This leaves Biti and Komichi in a bitter scrap for power with Mudzuri already a right-off given his frosty relations with Chamisa.

The former Harare Mayor has not even been seen at the congress.

Mlilo declared the voters roll would not be altered.

“We would need the resolutions to make a decision but for now, anyone not appearing on the voters roll will not be allowed to vote,” he said.

Curiously, despite concerns around the credibility of the voters roll, Mlilo said candidates will not be allowed to inspect the roll of voters.

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