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Horsetrading: How electoral pact failure led to MDC losses 2008
Anonymous contributor
July 29, 2013

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As it looks as though any form of reconciliation between the two MDC factions will not happen, most Zimbabweans would want to minimise the electoral damage of the two factions opposing each other in a Westminster Constituency / First Past the Post system.

Ideally the two formations could agree not to challenge each other in the few constituencies where it may significantly advantage Zanu PF. Obviously this could be difficult to agree on. Difficult, but not impossible.

However the benefits to each party hugely outweigh the costs. (83 advantageous situations to 7 possibly disadvantageous situations).

Mutare South is a typical example:

In cases such as these (and there are many of these), Zanu PF has won the seat, thanks to the MDC’s divisions. It isn’t easy however to convince a candidate that they can’t stand in an election, even if it is for a greater good. It is my belief that it was actually the complete inability of the two MDC formations to formulate a mechanism to choose a candidate in constituencies where they both had structures that played a large part in preventing any attempts at MDC unity.

However in a case like Mutare South, a reasonable person could ask - has the MDC-N trebled its support in this constituency?

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