Opinion / Columnist
Chamisa can't read polls; how do you expect him to run a country
29 Jul 2018 at 13:03hrs | Views
Nelson Chamisa is not stupid. In fact, he is a very intelligent young man. So when I say he can't read polls, I think what I mean is that he won't read the polls.
Every poll that has been conducted so far shows that he is losing. Afrobarometer x2: Losing. EU sponsored polls: Losing. Online polls: Losing. Phone polls: Losing. Internal polls: Losing. External polls: Losing. He even fired one of his own team for releasing a poll which had the MDC trailing far behind ED's newly enthused ZANU-PF.
So why does he continue to claim on a daily basis that he will only accept a victorious result. He says that only if he wins can the elections be considered free and fair. This is dangerous.
Nelson, what about all the observers from SADC who you asked for? What about all the observers and monitors from the US, who you so often go running to? What about the observers from the EU, from the UK, from across Scandinavia? What if they say it is free? Why do you insist the game is over before it has even started?
Well ironically it is over before it is even started because poor Chamisa simply doesn't have the numbers to win. Every poll shows this! ED has one and a half feet back in state house.
Unfortunately, with Chamisa's guaranteed loss, his claims of a guaranteed win, are setting us all up for disaster. His small army of followers have been brainwashed into believing that they stand at the gates of victory. The reality however is that they are staring at the jaws of defeat. What will happen when they realize this? When the results are released? What will happen when his Vanguard wrongly believe they have been cheated? We all know the answer: Violence.
We've seen this all across our continent. It is a lethal formula: A candidate's refusal to set realistic expectations, plus his refusal to accept results, equals mayhem.
This is why we must all scream from the rooftops today and tomorrow that all sides MUST ACCEPT THE RESULTS. We have an independent body called ZEC, being watched with a careful eye by scores of experienced observers from all over the world. No election in history has been so scrutinised.
We have a responsibility then to be calm, await the results, and accept them when they come. The current tactics of Nelson Chamisa are both dangerous and irresponsible. All peace-loving Zimbabweans must beware.
Every poll that has been conducted so far shows that he is losing. Afrobarometer x2: Losing. EU sponsored polls: Losing. Online polls: Losing. Phone polls: Losing. Internal polls: Losing. External polls: Losing. He even fired one of his own team for releasing a poll which had the MDC trailing far behind ED's newly enthused ZANU-PF.
So why does he continue to claim on a daily basis that he will only accept a victorious result. He says that only if he wins can the elections be considered free and fair. This is dangerous.
Nelson, what about all the observers from SADC who you asked for? What about all the observers and monitors from the US, who you so often go running to? What about the observers from the EU, from the UK, from across Scandinavia? What if they say it is free? Why do you insist the game is over before it has even started?
Well ironically it is over before it is even started because poor Chamisa simply doesn't have the numbers to win. Every poll shows this! ED has one and a half feet back in state house.
Unfortunately, with Chamisa's guaranteed loss, his claims of a guaranteed win, are setting us all up for disaster. His small army of followers have been brainwashed into believing that they stand at the gates of victory. The reality however is that they are staring at the jaws of defeat. What will happen when they realize this? When the results are released? What will happen when his Vanguard wrongly believe they have been cheated? We all know the answer: Violence.
We've seen this all across our continent. It is a lethal formula: A candidate's refusal to set realistic expectations, plus his refusal to accept results, equals mayhem.
This is why we must all scream from the rooftops today and tomorrow that all sides MUST ACCEPT THE RESULTS. We have an independent body called ZEC, being watched with a careful eye by scores of experienced observers from all over the world. No election in history has been so scrutinised.
We have a responsibility then to be calm, await the results, and accept them when they come. The current tactics of Nelson Chamisa are both dangerous and irresponsible. All peace-loving Zimbabweans must beware.
Source - Faith Hope
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