Nelson Chamisa yesterday held an online rally ( E-Rally) which was also addressed by Tendai Biti and Job Sikhala.

In my opinion, Chamisa missed the opportunity presented by the E-Rally to set a clear direction regarding the future.

There are a number of key issues that Chamisa failed to address namely:

1. Chamisa missed the opportunity to launch his 2023 campaign.

2. Chamisa failed to launch a new political party. Chamisa should have used this opportunity to dump the MDC name and rebrand.

3. Chamisa failed to announce a broad based coalition. Chamisa should have used this opportunity to call upon the opposition to join hands together and he should have used this opportunity to name his coalition.

4. Chamisa failed to launch a rural voters strategy. This is important because ZANU-PF has been winning in the rural areas and have this week launched their rural housing strategy.

5. Chamisa spent too much time speaking about Mnangagwa. This is creating the perception of Mnangagwa as an unbeatable opponent.

6. Chamisa gave mixed signals regarding the 2023 elections. While he said he can not move to 2018 without addressing 2012, he stopped short of saying he will boycott the elections if there are no reforms.

7. Chamisa’s comments on the economy cast him as someone that believes if the economy does badly people will vote the opposition. ZANU-PF has been using the narrative that the economy is not working because of sanctions and he is playing into this narrative.

What Nelson Chamisa should be doing now:

1. Chamisa needs to realize that 2023 is his last chance to win. Setting up a coalition is essential.
2. Chamisa needs move away from 2018. This means he needs to accept all court decisions and start focusing on 2023.
3. Chamisa should make the difficult decision to join POLAD and use this platform to make demands on electoral reforms.

In conclusion

It will be difficult for Chamisa to take over in Zimbabwe from outside the system. The Zimbabwean system is complex and it needs someone who works from within it. This should be Chamisa’s focus going into 2023.