Mujuru rules out coalition with MDC Alliance
NATIONAL People’s Party leader Dr Joice Mujuru last week poured cold water on reports that her party was on the verge of forming an electoral grand coalition with the MDC Alliance, saying that will never happen unless certain key demands are met.
Dr Mujuru, who fronts another coalition of opposition parties going by the name People’s Rainbow Coalition (PRC), said the proposed coalition with the MDC Alliance ahead of this year’s harmonised elections has not seen the light of the day because of several sticking issues.
The ex-Vice President, who was speaking during a meeting with PRC aspiring local government candidates in this year’s harmonised elections at a Masvingo hotel, accused the MDC Alliance of spreading lies about progress in the so-called “grand coalition” talks.
Her statement followed recent claims by some MDC Alliance leaders who told mourners at the burial of the late MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai in Buhera that Dr Mujuru had agreed to join the alliance.
“There are some who are misrepresenting what I said at the funeral of the late Tsvangirai in Buhera,” she said. “There are others who are lying that Joice Mujuru is saying that I want to join the MDC Alliance, there is nothing like that and that will never happen,’’ she said, to applause from party supporters.
“It will only happen (joining the MDC Alliance) if they allow people to choose leaders of their choice.
“Power resides in the people and people should be allowed to choose leaders of their choice not to impose that So and So will be the leader.”
Dr Mujuru confirmed that her party had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a precursor to the formation of a coalition with the MDC Alliance before the death of Mr Tsvangirai.
She said talks over a possible electoral coalition with the MDC Alliance stalled over four key issues.
Dr Mujuru said her party was not agreeable to the condition by the MDC Alliance that in the planned “grand coalition” the late Mr Tsvangirai was going to be the presidential candidate and in the event of anything happening, the MDC-T would choose his replacement.
“We differed on four key things ranging from the name of the party to be used by the coalition among other things, we did not agree on one party swallowing others, we failed to agree on that,’’ she said.
“They (MDC Alliance) insisted that the proposed coalition was going use the MDC-T open palm symbol and Tsvangirai’s picture and we said no that is not how a coalition works.
“They said Tsvangirai cannot be contested and if the unexpected happens then the MDC-T will choose his successor. I just said no.’’
Dr Mujuru said parties to the coalition failed to agree on the selection of candidates and distribution of seats ahead of this year’s elections.
“We could not agree on a situation where coalition leaders just sit down and choose candidates for the coming elections. We insisted that it is the people who must choose the candidates they want, we said let’s go to the people because we are doing this for them and we reached a deadlock,” she said.
Dr Mujuru intimated there were some political developments that were taking place behind the scenes following a meeting by representatives of some local opposition parties that was held in Cape Town in South Africa recently.
She said an announcement would be made to party members at the appropriate time.
Plans to form the so-called grand coalition to challenge Zanu-PF and its presidential candidate President Mnangagwa have suffered a stillbirth owing to deep-rooted differences amongst the various political players.
Mr Nelson Chamisa has since been appointed substantive MDC-T leader and the MDC Alliance’s presidential candidate in this year’s elections, but his takeover of power is being contested by other senior party members, amid indications of another split in the beleaguered party.