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Mashudu Netsianda Senior Reporter
THE Western media has predicted that MDC-T leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, will lose today’s elections to President Mugabe.
In its editorial yesterday, a leading British newspaper, the UK Telegraph, noted that Mr Tsvangirai would lose the polls. The paper attributed the MDC-T leader’s imminent loss to the party’s own poor public relations efforts and a lack of sound economic policies coupled with Mr Tsvangirai’s indecisive philandering activities and a penchant for lavish lifestyle at the expense of the masses.
“Not only is Mr Mugabe still alive and kicking, he is actually doing better in the polls than Mr Tsvangirai. Part of that is down to the MDC’s own poor PR efforts.
“Mr Tsvangirai’s liaisons with various different women have been a gift to Zanu-PF as that has painted him as an indecisive philanderer who cannot even decide which lady he wishes to wed, never mind what policies the country should follow. That, as much than anything else, may cost him at the polls, making him the Zimbabwean answer to Bill Clinton,” said the paper.
The paper also said Mr Tsvangirai made a bad decision by agreeing to enter into a power sharing deal with Zanu-PF under the inclusive Government.
“For many of Mr Tsvangirai’s supporters, electoral defeat on Wednesday (today) will be confirmation that it was a bad idea to enter coalition politics all along.
“But those who might wish to re-write history now should bear in mind what the alternative might have been. Were Mr Tsvangirai to have aloofly stayed out of government, his reputation today might be more intact.”
The Guardian described today’s plebiscite as a “pivotal moment for Zimbabwe” and predicting a win for President Mugabe as people have expressed dissatisfaction with Mr Tsvangirai over his questionable leadership qualities.
“Tsvangirai’s reputation has been tarnished by personal scandals and dissatisfaction with his leadership. Questions about his personal life have led to Tsvangirai losing support among urban voters. Zanu-PF has successfully portrayed him as a ‘western stooge’. The MDC-T has failed to fully mobilise its support and its popularity has slumped from 38 percent in 2010 to 20 percent last year, according to a report by Freedom House,” said the paper.
“The re-emergence of the agricultural industry is of particular significance, as it formed the backbone of the economy. Against all odds, the country has overseen solid economic growth since 2010, due to the resurgence of agriculture and revenue from diamonds and basing on that a (President) Mugabe victory seems inevitable, and many commentators predict a comfortable win against Tsvangirai.”
The paper also highlighted MDC-T claims to have credit for the country’s economic recovery just because it was in charge of the financial portfolio.
Online Reporter