Maravi

MDC seeks unity govt

MDC seeks unity govt
By Kingsley Kaswende in Harare, Zimbabwe
Monday April 07, 2008 [04:00]

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has embarked on consultations to form a government of national unity, asking President Robert Mugabe to concede defeat and step down. But the ZANU-PF, two days after accusing the opposition of rigging some constituency elections, has demanded a recount in the presidential votes, citing "errors and miscalculations."

By press time yesterday, there were still no results for the presidential election eight days after the poll.

But results announced so far show that MDC had won more seats in Parliament than ZANU-PF while the two parties have equally shared the 60 seats of Senate.
Tsvangirai rejected a run-off, saying he had won by over 50 plus one per cent, which does not require a run-off.

"On our part we have started consultations of making a government of national unity. We believe that our victory is not MDC's victory but Zimbabwe's victory. I am calling on Mugabe to begin a process of dialogue with me for transition," he told journalists.

"Zimbabwe can't afford a run-off. A run-off will polarise and traumatise this country. Mugabe must concede defeat to allow us to get on with the programme of rebuilding the nation."

The delayed results are causing anxiety among the people and raising fears of manipulation of figures.

Tsvangirai last Friday filed a court application seeking to force the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to announce the results. The case could not be heard in chambers, as armed police officers blocked MDC lawyers from entering the court premises.
The case was due to be heard in chambers yesterday afternoon.

Tsvangirai said it was ridiculous that ZEC had taken over a week to announce the results even when the results were ready in a day.

"This is unacceptable and it fertilises people's emotions. It is ridiculous that an election of less than 2.5 million people can take more than seven days to announce," he lamented.
Tsvangirai said it would be difficult for President Mugabe to govern even if he won because he had no majority in both houses of Parliament, the House of Assembly and the Senate.

"Constitutionally, it is not possible for a President with a minority in Parliament to lead," he said, adding that President Mugabe would be a lame duck if he did so.
Tsvangirai accused ZANU-PF of intending to use the run-off to launch a retribution campaign against people in the rural areas for voting against ZANU-PF.

"We know that militias and the military are being deployed to the rural areas to intimidate people. The run-off is thus a run over people. If Mugabe thinks he can bulldoze himself into another era of illegitimacy, history will be the best judge. He can't hold the country to ransom," he said.

Tsvangirai said there would come a time when people would cast away any fears and take the destiny in their own hands.

"In any nation, there comes a time when citizens grab their destiny in their own hands and say no. There comes a time when we put aside fear and act. We will not allow subversion of the people's victory. The results reflect beyond any shadow of doubt that the people don't want Robert Mugabe and he should accept the result," he said.
He called on African leaders to reject President Mugabe.

Tsvangirai said his generation of leaders such as Dr Kenneth Kaunda Zambia and Julius Nyerere Tanzania had led and gone, and that it was his turn to take a rest.
But ZANU-PF secretary for administration Patrick Chinamasa on Thursday accused the opposition MDC of rigging through electoral fraud but this time the party has submitted a complaint letter to ZEC demanding a recount even before the official results have been announced.

ZANU-PF lost its parliamentary and senate majority to the opposition and is believed to have lost the presidential bid, according to unofficial results in the possession of MDC officials.

According to a complaint document filed by the party the anomalies were detected in several constituencies, especially in Mberengwa district, where President Robert Mugabe is believed to have been deprived of thousands of votes.

ZANU-PF argues that the anomalies were detected following close scrutiny of the forms containing results at polling stations, which were signed by election agents from all contesting parties.

The party argues that the miscalculations have prejudiced the incumbent and some ZEC officers have been arrested.

"As will soon become apparent, the constituency elections officer and his team committed errors of miscounting that are so glaring as to prejudice not just our clients' candidate but also his contestants," the documents filed by ZANU-PF reads in part.
The party argues that this may have affected the result of the election.

"While it may require statisticians to account for what is plain, and indeed blindly obvious to our client, is that ZEC may be faced with serious, profound and far-reaching case of miscounting," the document reads. "ZEC may also be faced here with an overarching and unpleasant case of mis-posting of votes."

On March 24 during a campaign rally in Bulawayo, President Mugabe declared that it would be a curse if he lost to Tsvangirai. He called on people that had chosen to follow the MDC to return to ZANU-PF, which he described as home.

And a day before the polls, President Mugabe in Manicaland assured that his government would not rig the elections because it has never done that before.
President Mugabe urged the MDC to accept defeat.

"If they lose, let them accept. We are ready to accept the results. When they win more, we accept so when they win less, they should accept," he said.
On election day, just after casting his vote, President Mugabe dismissed the possibility of a re-run saying he would knock out his opponents in the first round.

"We are not used to boxing where we go into many rounds. We just knock each other out in the first round. That's what we have been doing in the past," said President Mugabe. "We have never rejected any win by the MDC or by anyone, never ever! Once it's announced that so and so has won and we have lost, we have accepted the results. We are not in the habit of cheating. We have got a sense of honesty. Why should I cheat? The people are there supporting us. The moment the people stop supporting you, that's when you have to leave politics."

Labels: ELECTIONS, MDC, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 4:32 AM