Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) MDC-T to move congress to 2012

MDC-T to move congress to 2012
Mutsawashe Makuvise
Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:25:00 +0000

‘MDC to move Congress to 2012’

THE Movement for Democratic Change party will move its congress to 2012 to allow their president to lead the party for more than the two terms as required by that party’s constitution, the Zimbabwe Guardian has learnt.

The MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has led the party for two consecutive 5-year terms and is required – according to the party’s constitution – to step down in February 2009 to clear way for a new leader.

By moving the congress to 2012, the party will be effectively extending Tsvangirai’s tenure as only congress can remove him from the leadership of the party, according to that party’s constitution.

The spokesman for the MDC-T, Nelson Chamisa informally revealed that there would be no party congress next year as required by their party’s constitution.

“There is not going to be any congress next year. That is something that Zanu PF is hoping for and maybe it will be held at Zanu PF headquarters, so certainly it will not be an MDC congress,” said an irate Chamisa when quizzed about the likelihood of the MDC-T congress which has not been made official yet.

To justify the postponement of next year’s Congress, Chamisa incorrectly said that the last MDC-T congress was held in 2007 – so that it coincides with another five years tenure for Tsvangirai.

He said: “We held our congress in 2007 and it is held every five years. So the next congress is going to be in 2012”.

The inaugural Congress of the MDC-T party was held in Chitungwiza in 1999. The second congress was held at the City Sports Centre in Harare on 18 March 2006 and led to the reelection of Tsvangirai as President and Thokozani Khupe as that party’s vice president.

February 2009 marks the end of Tsvangirai’s second tenure as party president and expectations were that Tsvangirai would step down to clear the way for a new party president in the letter and spirit of their party’s constitution.

An MDC-T insider, who is currently a legislator for a Harare constituency expressed shock and dismay that the party spokesman was privy to the information that no congress would be held next year.

“This is news to me. (Nelson) Chamisa is only a party spokesman and is supposed to communicate resolutions made by the party, not his own individual concerns,” said the party insider.

“As far as the MDC leadership is concerned, next year’s congress is very crucial as we are looking to elect a new party president. Morgan Tsvangirai has been leader for the last 9 years and his current tenure comes to an end at the end of January (2009),” he added.

Insiders within the opposition MDC-T party say they fear a situation where the MDC-T top leadership could use their power and influence to propose amendments to the party’s constitution to extend Tsvangirai’s tenure.

“Tsvangirai has played his party. We are supposed to be a democratic party and should therefore show people that we believe what we say,” said a member of the MDC-T party based in London and who is in the London executive branch.

“If Tsvangirai does a Madhuku and stands for re-election, then it’s against the constitution, because it says he should stand for two terms only. Any proposed amendment will be undemocratic," said the executive member in reference to Dr Lovemore Madhuku of the National Constitutional Assembly who altered his organisations constitution to extend his own tenure beyond the stipulated period.

A political analyst wrote earlier this year that “opposition groups are undermining themselves and setting bad precedents when they promote bad practices amongst … themselves in order to score points against Zanu PF.”

“Unfortunately, this practice breeds lawlessness and tramples on democratic values, the very principles the opposition says it is determined to deliver to us,” said Kuthula Matshazi – a popular Zimbabwean blogger.

TSVANGIRAI IN FRANCE

Meanwhile the MDC leader is in Strasbourg where he is a guest at the European Development Days conference.

Tsvangirai is believed to be on a Europe-wide tour although party spokesman Chamisa refused to answer questions about the trip.

EU Commissioner Louis Michel told reporters Monday that he was "delighted" that Tsvangirai began a “European diplomatic tour” with the conference in Strasbourg, a base for the European Parliament.

Tsvangirai addressed the conference on Monday where he said the allocation of the Ministry of Finance to the MDC-T party was trap by Zanu PF.

"The country is broke and therefore he wants us to go and clean up the mess by establishing financial rules, because he does not have financial relations with anybody," Tsvangirai told the conference.

Labels: MDC, PARTIES

posted by MrK @ 9:04 AM