The battle between opposition parties’ ownership of the name, MDC Alliance has persisted with Douglas Mwonzora’s party on Friday met with a coalition of opposition parties that contested the 2018 general elections and committed themselves to a coalition agreement in which they resolved to using the name MDC Alliance and called upon Nelson Chamisa’s party to stop “abusing” the name.
In a statement after the meeting, MDC-T secretary for information and publicity, Nqobizitha Dumakile Khumalo, said opposition leaders who met on Friday agreed on owning the name MDC Alliance inline with the constituting document of the pact.
“Today the MDC Alliance Principals Forum met under the strict Covid 19 regulations at Morgan Tsvangirai House in Harare. The meeting was chaired by MDC-T president, Douglas Mwonzora. The various political leaders acknowledged president Mwonzora as the leader of the MDC Alliance, in line with the constituting document of the pact. The meeting re-asserted full commitment to the alliance agreement.” He said.
“The MDC Alliance is not a political party, it is a group of political parties established in terms of an alliance agreement signed on the 5th of August 2017 and it says the MDC T is the principal member of the alliance on the bases of its size. It is there in black and white.” MDC T leader Douglas Mwonzora told 263times in July.
Khumalo however said the group was concerned with the continued abuse of the party’s name and symbols by Chamisa’s party.
“The meeting, however, noted the continued abuse of the MDC Alliance name and symbols and urges those doing so to cease and desist forthwith.
“The meeting further agreed that it heartily welcomes and accepts any political players who subscribe to the MDC Alliance ethos.” He added.
The alliance was consummated in 2017 when the MDC-T formed an electoral pact with six other political parties.