Only Harare candidate list is pending: Chamisa

Staff Reporter

Main opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has claimed that its candidates’ selection process is complete all over the country except for Harare.

The revelation was made by party leader, Nelson Chamisa while addressing the party faithful at  a packed Stodart Stadium in Mbare, Harare on Thursday.

“We are almost done. All candidates are ready, except in Harare which we will complete this weekend. We decided to end with Harare because it is our headquarters,” he said.

The party will finalise its candidate selection for Harare today.

CCC has been firefighting persistent criticism of its protracted candidate selection process. Recently, Spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said the party would not be forced into revealing its candidates by the ruling Zanu PF.

Chamisa reiterated the party’s stance during his address. “Some people are saying we are taking too long but they have to know that an elaphant’s term of pregnancy is different from that of a rat,” he said to the applause of a mammoth crowd that hung on every word he said. He attributed the lengthy process to the party’s desire to come up with the best candidates.

“We have come up with the best candidates, the creme de la creme. As a party we don’t do primaries. Primaries are done for other parties. We have come up with  a new way of selecting candidates by community consensus. The community decides on suitable candidates,” he said.

Chamisa singled out Bulawayo as one of the provinces that have ready candidate lists, having  finalised its candidate selection process last week.

He declared CCC as a “Godly party” where votebuying using alcohol cannot be tolerated. Chamisa and CCC came underfire during the early days of their candidate selection when prospective candidates had to prove their allegiance to “the Creator.” 

The defiant party leader said provocation by the system will not force him into miscalculated actions.

“They thought I was going to fall for their traps…you can hit me, arrest my children, siblings, or insult me, call me a fool..i will not respond.”

Nomination of candidates is underway and nomination courts will sit across the country on the 21st of June to formalise the nominations.

Earlier this week, the Zanu PF dominated parliament okayed nomination fees that stand at $20 000 for presidential candidates and $1 000 for Member of Parliament candidates.

The Constitutional Court had ordered Parliament to review the fees gazetted in Statutory Instrument (SI) 144 of 2022, which increased the nomination fees for candidates running  for  office in the August 23 elections.

However, the Parliamentary Legal Committee issued a non-adverse report on the SI, effectively endorsing the exhorbitant nomination fees.