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Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF invited to Chamisa 'inauguration'
25 Oct 2018 at 07:42hrs | Views
Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC secretary-general, has extended an invitation to President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF to attend the opposition's 19th-anniversary celebrations which had also been planned for a mock inauguration of party leader Nelson Chamisa.
Chamisa has consistently claimed that Mnangagwa's administration was illegitimate and his party the MDC was planning on installing him as the people's president. He will be symbolically inaugurated on Saturday as the "People's President," in spite of the fact he lost the July election.
Mwonzora revealed the invitation on the popular microblogging platform, Twitter on Wednesday.
Said Mwonzora, "The MDC anniversary at long last is proceeding at Gwanzura stadium on Saturday the 27th of October."
"We have invited other Zimbabwean political parties including Zanu-PF to our anniversary. A new Zimbabwe a new politics!"
The winner, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has already been sworn in, after a court found no evidence of vote rigging as alleged by the MDC after the election.
Mnangagwa secured a comfortable victory, according to results from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, polling 2.46 million votes against 2.15 million for the 40-year-old Chamisa. The opposition said the result was rigged.
Mnangagwa won the election with 50.8% of the vote - just enough to meet the 50% threshold needed to avoid a run-off against Chamisa, who scored 44.3%.
Zimbabwe's Constitutional Court dismissed with costs the MDC Alliance's presidential election petition challenging Emmerson Mnangagwa's victory.
MDC Alliance's wanted last month's presidential election result overturned.
Chief Justice Luke Malaba says there is no proof of irregularities by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
While ruling party activists have warned against the planned inauguration, saying it would amount to treason, MDC-T presidential spokesperson Dr. Nkululeko Sibanda dismissed them, saying the people of Zimbabwe have the right to install a president of their choice.
If Chamisa goes ahead and takes the symbolic oath on Saturday, he will join the ranks of Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga and Uganda's Kizza Besigye.
Chamisa has consistently claimed that Mnangagwa's administration was illegitimate and his party the MDC was planning on installing him as the people's president. He will be symbolically inaugurated on Saturday as the "People's President," in spite of the fact he lost the July election.
Mwonzora revealed the invitation on the popular microblogging platform, Twitter on Wednesday.
Said Mwonzora, "The MDC anniversary at long last is proceeding at Gwanzura stadium on Saturday the 27th of October."
"We have invited other Zimbabwean political parties including Zanu-PF to our anniversary. A new Zimbabwe a new politics!"
The MDC anniversary at long last is proceeding at Gwanzura stadium on Saturday the 27th of October. We have invited other Zimbabwean political parties including Zanu-PF to our anniversary. A new Zimbabwe a new politics!
— Douglas Mwonzora (@DMwonzora) October 24, 2018
The winner, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has already been sworn in, after a court found no evidence of vote rigging as alleged by the MDC after the election.
Mnangagwa won the election with 50.8% of the vote - just enough to meet the 50% threshold needed to avoid a run-off against Chamisa, who scored 44.3%.
Zimbabwe's Constitutional Court dismissed with costs the MDC Alliance's presidential election petition challenging Emmerson Mnangagwa's victory.
MDC Alliance's wanted last month's presidential election result overturned.
Chief Justice Luke Malaba says there is no proof of irregularities by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
While ruling party activists have warned against the planned inauguration, saying it would amount to treason, MDC-T presidential spokesperson Dr. Nkululeko Sibanda dismissed them, saying the people of Zimbabwe have the right to install a president of their choice.
If Chamisa goes ahead and takes the symbolic oath on Saturday, he will join the ranks of Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga and Uganda's Kizza Besigye.
Source - newzimbabwe
