The MDC Alliance is set to hold its elective Congress in June this year. The Congress was originally slated for October but apparently, the date has been brought forward.
It is alleged that officials in the party say Mwonzora’s camp has since last year been pushing for the Congress to be held by end of February in accordance with a provision in the party’s constitution, which states that upon the death or resignation of a sitting president, an acting president must take over for a period not exceeding a year, after which an elective congress should be held to decide the new substantive leader.
However, Chamisa’s camp is said to have argued that Chamisa was made the substantive president by the party’s highest decision-making organ, the national council. The national council met soon after Tsvangirai’s burial and it was characterised in some quarters as a power grab by Chamisa. An MDC party insider told the Zimbabwe Independent that:
It was realised that delaying the Congress to October was feeding into the narrative that Chamisa was too keen to hold onto power without congress approval. The only problem now is that we should hold smaller congresses at all levels of the party, starting with the branch, the ward, the district and then the province before the national congress happens.
MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume said the national council has the prerogative to decide when the Congress will be held. He said:
Constitutionally, the latest time by which the Congress has to be held in October but the national council can determine otherwise. Hopefully, the issue will be dealt with when it meets next.