OPPOSITION MDC secretary general Douglas Mwonzora is not ruling out a challenge for party presidency at an elective congress which is now set for May this year.<\/p>\n
Reports have linked Mwonzora, along with co-vice president Elias Mudzuri, with a possible bid to take on charismatic party leader Nelson Chamisa.<\/p>\n
In an interview with NewZimbabwe.com Monday, Mwonzora was coy about the prospect, saying indicatively that one\u2019s wish alone was not enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am eligible for the presidency for sure and I am sure I qualify,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am full member of the MDC and have full rights in terms of its constitution including the right to contest any position.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, I am waiting for the nomination process to see where I will be nominated.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued; \u201cWhat will happen is that there will be a process of nomination, so we will have to wait for this process.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn other words, one\u2019s desire is not enough as one has to be nominated by at least one provincial assembly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will only know tomorrow (Tuesday) exactly what people are saying. I will do what the MDC people ask me to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The MDC will hold its congress between 12-14 May this year.<\/p>\n
Addressing party supporters in Gweru at the weekend, Chamisa said all party positions were open for contestation.<\/p>\n
However, key party organs \u2013 including the main wing, the youths and the women\u2019s assembly \u2013 were emphatic that Chamisa\u2019s must not be challenged.<\/p>\n
The widely popular 41-year-old grabbed power in controversial and violent circumstances last year following the death founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai.<\/p>\n
He has since consolidated his position and looks untouchable after a solid performance in the disputed July 30 elections.<\/p>\n
Said youth leader Love more Chinoputsa at the Gweru rally; \u201cA person who amassed 2,6 million votes must not be contested at the congress.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the youth assembly we are reaffirming our support for you president Chamisa.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Mwonzora has outsmarted Chamisa when the latter was a runaway favourite in previous contests.<\/p>\n
At the party\u2019s 2014 congress, Mwonzora pulled a surprise when he defeated the then\u00a0Kuwadzana East Member of Parliament to land the powerful secretary general\u2019s post.<\/p>\n
And perhaps harkening back to that stunning upset, Mwonzora told NewZimbabwe.com on Monday that; \u201cI have dealt with a few things.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that Zimbabwean problems require the correct temperament and unquestionable understanding of what democracy entails.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
OPPOSITION MDC secretary general Douglas Mwonzora is not ruling out a challenge for party presidency at an elective congress which is now set for May this year. Reports have linked Mwonzora, along with co-vice president Elias Mudzuri, with a possible bid to take on charismatic party leader Nelson Chamisa. In an interview with NewZimbabwe.com Monday, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":4581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,8,35,12],"tags":[113,88,379,120],"class_list":{"0":"post-4576","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-head-lines","9":"category-homepage-english","10":"category-policy","11":"tag-chamisa","12":"tag-mdc","13":"tag-mwonzora","14":"tag-parties"},"yoast_head":"\n