At least 3 000 party members have “applied to contest for public office under the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) ticket”, party officials have reportedly said.
According to New Zimbabwe.com, MDC-T chairperson Morgan Komichi confirmed this, saying the party had finished vetting the aspiring candidates.
He said that the party would only hold primary votes in constituencies where there was lack of consensus as to who would be representing the party.
He also said that of the 3 000 candidates who had applied to represent the party in the forthcoming polls, 512 wanted to represent the party as parliamentary candidates, while the rest wanted to represent the 1 958 local government wards in the country.
“Following the compilation of the approved candidates’ panel, the party is now undergoing the second stage of candidates’ selections, which is consensus-building and primary elections where necessary,” Komichi was quoted as saying.
He said that the party candidates’ list would consider the need for equal gender representation, the 20% youth quota and another for Person with Disabilities (PWDs).
The opposition party’s candidates’ shortlisting came a week after the ruling Zanu-PF held its primaries.
The elections held over several days last week were marred by some chaotic scenes, mainly due to the late delivery of ballot papers and the absence of some candidates’ names on the voting papers.
There were also allegations of vote-rigging and intimidation in some areas.
Photo Credit- HerarldTimes
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