Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) national secretary for the Felix Mutati-led faction, Raphael Nakacinda says his party will not take part in any by-election until such a time when its structures would have been strengthened.

Nakachinda who was responding to News Diggers when contacted to find out whether or not the party was going to participate in the September 06, Kasenengwa by-elections, also disclosed that the MMD would conduct another national convention before 2021.

Nakachinda explained that his party would not risk its little resources to participate in an election just for academic purposes because it was also determined to go into an election and come out with victory.

“For now until in the near future, we resolved as the national executive committee not to spread our thin resource which we are using to vigorously mobilise our party and take inventory of our structures. So we said it would be counter productive for us to divert those resources and start participating in these by-elections. We would love that the entire machinery of the party across the country becomes vibrant, and that even when we start participating in by-elections, we will not just be participating for academic purposes but to participate meaningfully to win the elections,” Nakacinda said.

And Nakacinda also said the party was conducting primary elections from the branches, wards and constituencies just to fully strengthen the party before finally going into any election.

“Intra-party elections for MMD are inevitable, we go to conventions every five years and therefore, we had a convention in 2016 and we are going to have a convention before the 2021 general elections. But right now what we are doing is conducting primary elections from the grassroots, From the branches, the wards, the constituencies and soon we will begin to have Provincial Conferences just to build up the party before we can finally start taking part in elections,” said Nakacinda.