Zimbabwe opposition leader Nelson Chamisa is still not giving up on his quest to contest the recently held elections.
Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in Zimbabwe’s president on Monday after the electoral commision declared himself as the victor.
Though the results were expected, they are problematic for Mnangagwa. For the first time in decades, foreign observer missions, including African monitors, agree that Wednesday’s presidential and parliamentary elections were neither free nor fair.
Observers from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) joined other missions in calling out the manipulation. The pre-election field was uneven.
Hundreds of candidates including a presidential contender were disqualified. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) boycotted the affair, citing electoral authorities’ perceived bias towards Zanu-PF.
State media became an extension of Zanu-PF’s propaganda machinery. Opposition activists and independent media were harassed during the campaign. Rallies of the opposition were disrupted, as recently as Saturday’s CCC press conference.
Of greater concern was the late arrival of ballot papers in urban areas where the opposition enjoys strong support from disillusioned youth and the middle class. Electoral boundaries and the voters’ roll were being changed days before the elections.
Zimbabweans have to be commended for coming out in numbers to cast their vote, especially in a fear-filled environment. The message is clear: Zimbabweans want and deserve change.
As is its constitutional right, the opposition is heading to the courts. However, the prospects of the legal challenge succeeding are low. Like most state institutions, Zimbabwe’s judiciary is not independent-minded.
Chamisa hopes to take his plight to SADC with the hope that they will intervene at a time when neighbours seem to have turned a blind eye on the country.
Source: https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/chamisa-reiterates-stance-of-rejecting-zim-election/
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