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Tendai Biti

Harare Bureau
MDC Renewal leader Tendai Biti is set to be confirmed as party president during the party’s inaugural congress that kicks off today in Harare. Party spokesperson Jacob Mafume said they were expecting more than 40 civic society organisations to deliver solidarity messages. He said the congress kicked off yesterday with meetings of the management committee and the party’s national working council that was set to consider the agenda for the congress before adoption.

The congress is being held at the City Sports Centre.

“There’ll be a launch of two documents, one called ‘Hope’, which focuses on the economy and what needs to be done to revive it,” he said. “The other one is related to the political direction the country should take. There’ll be elections to select new leadership and as it stands, Tendai Biti has been nominated for the presidency. We’ve invited diplomats and the entire civic society to our meeting. We expect solidarity from the over 40 civic society groups invited.”

Party interim chairperson, Sam Sipepa Nkomo, has been nominated as vice president while Lucia Matibenga has been nominated the party’s national chairperson.

Solomon Madzore was tipped to head the youth wing. Biti and more than a dozen MPs were expelled from Parliament after they broke away from the MDC-T led by Morgan Tsvangirai to form MDC-Renewal. This was after frustration crept in following the opposition party’s dismissal performance in the July 31 general elections which saw the party suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of Zanu-PF.

Zanu-PF secured a two thirds majority in Parliament which enables the revolutionary party to amend the Constitution, should it feel it necessary. The MDC-Renewal has since split after Elton Mangoma broke away to form the Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe.