tawandamusarurwa
We congratulate President Mnangagwa on his re-election for a second term and the majority Zanu PF obtained in Parliament.
His efforts and that of his Government have surely paid off. The 2 357 711 votes demonstrate the nation’s confidence in him as a leader.
Chamisa came second at 1 967 343 votes.
The results should be accepted peacefully by everyone, however they voted or, however they wished the poll to have gone.
The people of Zimbabwe have been justly congratulated for a very peaceful election, with even those forced by printing delays by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to wait for hours or come back a second time managing to curb their irritation and keep their cool.
The next stage, that of counting, was also very peaceful, with Zimbabweans going about their normal lives while waiting for the results. Suggestions by some that they should gather in large groups around polling stations and other places were ignored universally, showing that small groups of activists do not speak for anyone but themselves.
Now that the results are out, we need to maintain that peace. Obviously, a minority of the population will be disappointed with the result, having preferred a different outcome. But they need to respect the will of the majority, just as they would wish the same voters to have accepted their victory if enough people had voted the other way.
The parliamentary results showed that disappointment is not limited to one party or one group of voters. Two provinces, Bulawayo and Mashonaland Central, did produce a clean slate of directly elected MPs from just one party, a different one in each case, but not as a steamroller.
Even in those two provinces, the support for the other party was strong enough to ensure that when percentage votes are calculated, there are specially elected women MPs and senators from the losing major party. There are no one-party provinces.
Every constituency in the country, regardless of which party won it, has significant support for the other party and as we move forward, we all need to work with our neighbours, and even family and friends, regardless of our views and their views.
In the other eight provinces, there are directly elected MPs from both major parties, as well as splits in the groups of the special women’s seats and the Senate results.
There are majorities, but no total victories and everyone who cares about their home area, and we hope that applies to all parliamentarians, is going to have to work with, represent and help those who did not vote for them, as well as those that did.
This is one reason why President Mna-ngagwa won.
On taking office, he led his Government into some of the most rapid economic development in Zimbabwe’s history, but he made it crystal clear from the very beginning that this development was to benefit everyone and that there could be no political tests, or, for that matter, religious or other tests, to decide who benefited. It had to be inclusive.
Perhaps the greatest single example is the Gwayi-Shangani Dam and the pipeline to Bulawayo. Anyone glancing at a map will note that the communities benefiting at both the dam end and the outflow of the pipeline have a majority of voters who voted for a different candidate than the President and a different party from the majority party. But so what? The nation needed the development, so it is getting it.
So, in the end, President Mnangagwa had enough support in every constituency and from every polling station to win again, and importantly, that victory was premised on his record over the past five years. The presidential vote is separate from the Parliament vote, the President being directly elected by everyone.
Online Reporter