Former Zimbabwean deputy president Joice Mujuru has reportedly described the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance's presidential candidate, Nelson Chamisa, as a "dishonest and evasive" politician who did not "respect agreements".
According to the state-owned Herald newspaper, the Rainbow Coalition presidential candidate has also accused the main opposition leader of being the reason for the failure of the formation of an inclusive opposition alliance for the forthcoming crunch polls.
Mujuru said the coalition and the MDC failed to agree on at least four cardinal issues that include the modalities of choosing the proposed coalition's leader, logos and symbols.
The first coalition talks between Mujuru and the MDC reportedly failed last year after she demanded that the name "Movement for Democratic Change" not be used for the grand coalition that would have contested the upcoming polls.
Mujuru said at the time that although she supported the grand coalition, she was not going to be part of it if the name MDC was to be adopted as the coalition name.
"As long as the coalition has an MDC name, I am not part of it, but I would be happy if we meet and give it a different name," Mujuru was quoted as saying at the time.
Chamisa avoiding party leaders
Reports earlier this year said that several opposition parties reportedly lined up to join the Chamisa-led coalition that would take on President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF in the forthcoming elections.
According to NewsDay, among the opposition parties that were set to join Chamisa were the National People's Party (NPP), led by Mujuru; Zapu, led by Dumiso Dabengwa (Zapu); and Ambrose Mutinhiri's National Patriotic Front.
NPP secretary general Gift Nyandoro said that the party would only decide the way forward after the wrangle between Chamisa and his rival Thokozani Khupe over use of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) party symbols has been resolved.
But, according to the Herald, Chamisa has been avoiding other party leaders, including the MDC-Alliance partners after he had allegedly imposed his preferred candidates for the coming vote.
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