News / National
Nelson Chamisa mulls rolling demos
26 Aug 2018 at 16:38hrs | Views
HARARE - Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa was yesterday weighing up all his options - including mounting demos - in the wake of Friday's decision by the Constitutional Court (Con-Court) to uphold President Emmerson Mnangagwa's hotly-disputed victory in last month's polls.
At the same time, Chamisa also made it clear yesterday that he would not be attending Mnangagwa's inauguration in Harare today - saying it was inconceivable that he could accept an invitation "to a wedding where I was the one supposed to be receiving the gifts".
This came as many in the international community - including Zimbabwe's biggest trading partner, South Africa - were urging him to accept the results and move on in the interests of the country.
It also came as the MDC, through party spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka, had on Friday grudgingly accepted the Con-Court's ruling - which ended Chamisa's hopes of overturning Mnangagwa's July 30 victory.
Meanwhile, Mnangagwa will start his new five-year term as Zimbabwe's second executive president today, following the stunning fall from power late last year of former leader Robert Mugabe - on the back of a military intervention.
The 75-year-old had initially been sworn in as the country's new leader on November 24, to complete the remainder of Mugabe's term.
Yesterday, Chamisa continued with his recent position of refusing to accept Mnangagwa's victory, insisting that he was the legitimate winner of the tightly-contested presidential plebiscite.
"Yes, we respect the Constitutional Court, not only because it is the court that is expected to respect the issues of law, but also because I am an officer of the court and I respect the court.
"But respecting the court does not by definition mean accepting its decisions. You can respect but not agree and I respectfully do not agree with its ruling and reject the position arrived by the Constitutional Court.
"It doesn't mean that the Constitutional Court is an infallible institution. It can also make mistakes just like the mistakes made by Zec (the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission)," Chamisa said.
"I respect the Constitutional Court but I have problems with their findings. Chief Justice (Luke) Malaba made it clear that it is not the duty of the court to confer legitimacy on any particular candidate.
"The Constitutional Court can't tell us today (yesterday) is Sunday. If they say so, we respect them but differ with them and would tell them today is Saturday as a matter of fact," he told journalists during a media briefing in Harare.
"The legal door is not the only door to happiness and democracy. There are many other doors, and the political doors are going to be opened very soon using our Constitution.
"We have the right to peaceful demonstrations and protests ... that is going to be done in the shortest period of time.
"It is a constitutional option (demonstrations) and very viable. We have demonstrated two or three times successfully without any problems.
"I can tell you we have the right to demonstrate. This is going to be one of the routes which we are going to take among others.
"We won. What we are doing now is protecting that victory. We cannot afford five more years in this kind of hardship, people want answers," the defiant Chamisa added.
On Friday, the Con-Court unanimously upheld Mnangagwa's July 30 election victory and threw out Chamisa's petition that had sought to overturn the result.
The landmark ruling by Zimbabwe's highest court brought to an end weeks of uncertainty and anxiety in the country, which followed Zec's announcement on August 3 that Mnangagwa had pipped Chamisa in the closely-contested presidential plebiscite.
Upon receiving the court's verdict, Mnangagwa was quick to call for peace and unity in the country, and to reach out to Chamisa via his Twitter account.
However, Chamisa spurned Mnangagwa's overtures - demanding that the Zanu PF leader concede that he had rigged the election.
"How do I respond to doors on Twitter? I wrote to him ... the dialogue has to be on legitimacy and on free and fair elections so that we don't have cycles of disputed elections.
"Let it be a national dialogue on the basis of truth, but you can't rob me of my goats and say let's share those goats.
"Let's first have restitution and then we can start to talk. Even if you want to share mine, let's share on the basis of truth," he said.
"The court's decision is not the people's decision. He (Mnangagwa) must be able to look at the reality that the people voted and do not believe in him.
"I understand that there is an inauguration tomorrow (today), but that doesn't solve the issue of legitimacy. Mnangagwa is disputed as a leader. I have legitimate claim that I am supposed to lead people of Zimbabwe.
"I know Sadc and the AU (African Union) may come, but they are coming here to buttress illegitimacy. They are coming here to endorse an unacceptable outcome from the perspective of the people of Zimbabwe.
"This is not the end of the road, but the beginning ... change is coming," Chamisa said further.
Meanwhile, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was among those who urged Chamisa to accept the Con-Court's ruling.
Ramaphosa also congratulated Mnangagwa and expressed "South Africa's readiness to work with the government of Zimbabwe in the pursuit of closer political, cultural, economic and trade ties for the mutual benefit of the peoples of the two nations".
"The South African government urges all those involved in the court case, in particular the applicants and the respondents, to accept the decision of the court.
"It is important, going forward, that all parties work towards lasting peace, unity and prosperity in Zimbabwe," Ramaphosa said on Friday.
Millions of Zimbabweans cast their vote in the July 30 elections to choose both a new Parliament and president - following Mugabe's dramatic fall from power.
The elections also marked the first time that the main opposition MDC was not represented by its founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who lost his brave battle with cancer of the colon on Valentine's Day this year.
Zanu PF retained its two thirds parliamentary majority in the plebiscite.
However, the peaceful campaigns and a camaraderie spirit that had characterised the run-up to the elections were sullied in the aftermath of the polls when deadly violence broke out in Harare's central business district (CBD), following clashes between opposition supporters and security agents.
At least six people subsequently died when the army used live ammunition to break the ugly protests.
At the same time, Chamisa also made it clear yesterday that he would not be attending Mnangagwa's inauguration in Harare today - saying it was inconceivable that he could accept an invitation "to a wedding where I was the one supposed to be receiving the gifts".
This came as many in the international community - including Zimbabwe's biggest trading partner, South Africa - were urging him to accept the results and move on in the interests of the country.
It also came as the MDC, through party spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka, had on Friday grudgingly accepted the Con-Court's ruling - which ended Chamisa's hopes of overturning Mnangagwa's July 30 victory.
Meanwhile, Mnangagwa will start his new five-year term as Zimbabwe's second executive president today, following the stunning fall from power late last year of former leader Robert Mugabe - on the back of a military intervention.
The 75-year-old had initially been sworn in as the country's new leader on November 24, to complete the remainder of Mugabe's term.
Yesterday, Chamisa continued with his recent position of refusing to accept Mnangagwa's victory, insisting that he was the legitimate winner of the tightly-contested presidential plebiscite.
"Yes, we respect the Constitutional Court, not only because it is the court that is expected to respect the issues of law, but also because I am an officer of the court and I respect the court.
"But respecting the court does not by definition mean accepting its decisions. You can respect but not agree and I respectfully do not agree with its ruling and reject the position arrived by the Constitutional Court.
"It doesn't mean that the Constitutional Court is an infallible institution. It can also make mistakes just like the mistakes made by Zec (the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission)," Chamisa said.
"I respect the Constitutional Court but I have problems with their findings. Chief Justice (Luke) Malaba made it clear that it is not the duty of the court to confer legitimacy on any particular candidate.
"The Constitutional Court can't tell us today (yesterday) is Sunday. If they say so, we respect them but differ with them and would tell them today is Saturday as a matter of fact," he told journalists during a media briefing in Harare.
"The legal door is not the only door to happiness and democracy. There are many other doors, and the political doors are going to be opened very soon using our Constitution.
"We have the right to peaceful demonstrations and protests ... that is going to be done in the shortest period of time.
"It is a constitutional option (demonstrations) and very viable. We have demonstrated two or three times successfully without any problems.
"I can tell you we have the right to demonstrate. This is going to be one of the routes which we are going to take among others.
"We won. What we are doing now is protecting that victory. We cannot afford five more years in this kind of hardship, people want answers," the defiant Chamisa added.
On Friday, the Con-Court unanimously upheld Mnangagwa's July 30 election victory and threw out Chamisa's petition that had sought to overturn the result.
Upon receiving the court's verdict, Mnangagwa was quick to call for peace and unity in the country, and to reach out to Chamisa via his Twitter account.
However, Chamisa spurned Mnangagwa's overtures - demanding that the Zanu PF leader concede that he had rigged the election.
"How do I respond to doors on Twitter? I wrote to him ... the dialogue has to be on legitimacy and on free and fair elections so that we don't have cycles of disputed elections.
"Let it be a national dialogue on the basis of truth, but you can't rob me of my goats and say let's share those goats.
"Let's first have restitution and then we can start to talk. Even if you want to share mine, let's share on the basis of truth," he said.
"The court's decision is not the people's decision. He (Mnangagwa) must be able to look at the reality that the people voted and do not believe in him.
"I understand that there is an inauguration tomorrow (today), but that doesn't solve the issue of legitimacy. Mnangagwa is disputed as a leader. I have legitimate claim that I am supposed to lead people of Zimbabwe.
"I know Sadc and the AU (African Union) may come, but they are coming here to buttress illegitimacy. They are coming here to endorse an unacceptable outcome from the perspective of the people of Zimbabwe.
"This is not the end of the road, but the beginning ... change is coming," Chamisa said further.
Meanwhile, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was among those who urged Chamisa to accept the Con-Court's ruling.
Ramaphosa also congratulated Mnangagwa and expressed "South Africa's readiness to work with the government of Zimbabwe in the pursuit of closer political, cultural, economic and trade ties for the mutual benefit of the peoples of the two nations".
"The South African government urges all those involved in the court case, in particular the applicants and the respondents, to accept the decision of the court.
"It is important, going forward, that all parties work towards lasting peace, unity and prosperity in Zimbabwe," Ramaphosa said on Friday.
Millions of Zimbabweans cast their vote in the July 30 elections to choose both a new Parliament and president - following Mugabe's dramatic fall from power.
The elections also marked the first time that the main opposition MDC was not represented by its founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who lost his brave battle with cancer of the colon on Valentine's Day this year.
Zanu PF retained its two thirds parliamentary majority in the plebiscite.
However, the peaceful campaigns and a camaraderie spirit that had characterised the run-up to the elections were sullied in the aftermath of the polls when deadly violence broke out in Harare's central business district (CBD), following clashes between opposition supporters and security agents.
At least six people subsequently died when the army used live ammunition to break the ugly protests.
Source - DailyNews
