By Paul Nyathi|In probably the biggest bungling by the country’s biggest opposition party, the MDC Alliance has failed to field a candidate in the country’s usually most contested parliamentary seat in Mbare, Harare.
In the list of parliamentary candidates gazetted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on Wednesday, the opposition coalition is missing in three House of Assembly seats while it has more than one candidate in fourteen constituencies.
The MDC Alliance is a coalition of seven opposition parties including the MDCT arguably the biggest opposition party in the country.
The coalition failed to field candidates in Mbare, Insiza North and Hurungwe East constituencies.
MDC Alliance spokesperson Professor Welshman Ncube said it was “too late to rectify” the problem in relation to the 14 constituencies that have two candidates from the Alliance.
He said supporters needed to be persuaded to vote for one of the two candidates.
“It’s too late to rectify by withdrawing anyone at this stage because the period for withdrawal has expired,” Prof Ncube said. “The only way we can mitigate the difficulty is by getting one candidate to withdraw in the sense of both campaigning and working with the other candidate so that the voters know who the candidate is.
“Otherwise even if they withdraw now their names will still appear on the ballot paper. That is the reality of the situation. We have to just accept that in those 14 constituencies the ballot paper will have two candidates for the alliance.”
“We have been doing rallies almost every day,” he said. “We have not found time to have a meeting where everyone will be present. We are only going to meet next week on Tuesday, but that (double candidates) will not necessarily be the agenda because there is nothing now that can be done about it.”
In Bulawayo South, MDC Alliance is fielding Francis Mangwendeza and Kunashe Muchemwa, while in Harare South Shadreck Mashayamombe and Samuel Saurombe will represent the coalition.
In Mabvuku Tafara, James Maridadi will represent the alliance on the same ballot with James Chidhakwa.
The MDC Alliance will have two candidates in Mazowe North — namely Stephen Muchenje and Mcumillan Ndlovu.
The same situation subsists in Mazowe South where Gamuchirai Chakwera and Gift Chimanikire will represent the pact, while in Mazowe West, the alliance has Thamarie Chimanzi and Rorana Muchihwa as its candidates.
In Muzarabani North, Takawira Kagura and Larence Mushori will represent the coalition and in Bikita East, MDC Alliance will have Bonface Mudzingwa and Jacob Ngarivhume as candidates.
The MDC Alliance has two candidates in Gutu Central — namely Ernest Mandigo and Zvovuno Musoni, while in Gutu North, the pact will field Juniel Manyere and Edmore Maramwidze.
In Gutu West, the alliance candidates competing against each other are Stanely Manguma and Knowledge Mupini.
Another double nomination by the alliance is in Masvingo South where Justin Makota and Lovemore Matongo will be candidates.
In Zaka West, two alliance candidates Festus Dumbu and William Zivenge will be on the ballot paper, while Luke Tamborinyoka and Clifford Nhamburo will contest in Goromonzi West on an MDC Alliance ticket.
In the local government elections, the opposition Alliance failed to field candidates in 46 wards that have since been won by Zanu-PF uncontested.
MDC Alliance has also fielded double candidates in several wards for the council elections.