Mujuru says lets have elections to choose coalition leader, anaylsts say it won't work

Former Vice President and leader of the opposition National People’s Party (NPP) Joice Mujuru proposed that the parties in the coalition should have primary elections to select one candidate to square off against President Robert Mugabe in next year’s harmonised elections.  However, political analysts have dismissed the proposal saying that it was not going to work.

Political analyst, Llyod Sachikonye said:

It looks too complicated. I understand they may want to be seen to satisfy two levels of democracy which are internal democracy and competition but I think this is too complicated.

One possible approach is to decide and agree where a particular party is stronger and then field one candidate.

Political analyst Rejoice Ngwenya added

She doesn’t understand how coalitions work. Primaries destroy confidence in individuals who have capacity but with no grassroots influence. I prefer meritocracy to populism.

While  Eldred Masunungure, said:

That will not be sustainable and it will be the death of that coalition. What she said is clearly not in the spirit of a coalition. It appears as if the negotiations that lie ahead have failed and it might be read by critics in her party and other coalition partners as a statement that they have abandoned the coalition talks.

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