via Tsvangirai fights back – DailyNews Live by Thelma Chikwanha
Former Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai is set to address a rally at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare on Saturday with the MDC claiming that their leader will reveal to supporters how the July 31 polls were “stolen.”
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) announced that President Robert Mugabe had won 61 percent of the presidential vote while his Zanu PF won by a two thirds majority in Parliament but the MDC immediately described the election as a farce claiming Zanu PF had rigged.
The rally dubbed What Happened? will also be used to commemorate the party’s 14th anniversary. The MDC turns 14 on Wednesday.
Tsvangirai’s party is still devastated after losing the July 31 elections. The party’s national organising secretary, Nelson Chamisa told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday that Tsvangirai will provide answers to how Zanu PF “rigged” the elections.
Sadc has since endorsed the election result as “free, peaceful and generally credible.”
Last week, the MDC claimed that a Sadc report on the July 31 election presented by Tanzania’s foreign minister Bernard Membe was false.
Political analysts like Trevor Maisiri said the endorsement of the election by Sadc sounded a death knell on the MDC’s hope of securing any help from the regional body.
Said Chamisa: “We will hold a rally to commemorate our 14th anniversary and come up with a way forward. We did a forensic report and it has damning discoveries which we want to share with the whole country at Sakubva Stadium on Saturday.”
The party which has presented the biggest challenge for Zanu PF had prior to the election raised issues of the electoral irregularities which included; the failure of political parties to access an electronic and hard copy of the voters’ roll.
Local observers under the umbrella of Zimbabwe Election Support Network say that close to one million people in urban areas failed to cast their votes after they were turned away for not being registered as voters and several other reasons.
In rural areas, however at least 90 percent of registered voters managed to cast their votes on election day amidst concerns of the very high number of assisted voters.
A local research organisation Research Advocacy Unit (RAU) also said that there were at least one million people who were either deceased or had left the country who appeared on the voters’ roll.
Rau also stated that close to a million people between the ages of 18 and 30 had failed to register as voters yet the youth constitutes 60 percent of the country’s population.
The organisation also revealed how in some areas the number of registered voters did not tally with the population of the people according to a census conducted last year.
But political analysts on one hand say the MDC, which has its roots in the labour movement, lost the election because they lost touch with their supporters who mainly consist of the poor working class.
Leader of the International Socialist Organisation in Zimbabwe Munyaradzi Gwisai says the party lost because Tsvangirai failed to listen to people who were advocating for the NO vote during the referendum because Mugabe was using it as a dress rehearsal.
“As Tsvangirai and his ministers were busy telling the world that they were lucky to be Mugabe’s apprentices, war veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda camped for a year in Masvingo terrorising villagers.
“Then the MDC made a huge blunder in pushing forward ward-based polling and counting of ballots,” Gwisai was quoted as having said by the local media.
Gwisai who once represented the MDC as a member of Parliament for Highfield added that; “This exposed rural opposition voters to intimidation. With no protection from the MDC and with memories of the terror of June 2008, many rural people voted for their security.
COMMENTS
Will MDC also explain why they participated in a farcical election and what made them think they could win it?
Good question Zen. They were warned well in advance but chose not to listen to the expertise within the organisation. The top leadership – Tsvangirai, Biti and Chamisa MUST take responsibility for this instead of making excuses. They must be made accountable at the next congress. The people must call for an urgent congress now to sort out failure
Yes Zen, this is the question that needs to be answered … Unbelievable that the MDC went against SADC … The opposition parties were united for one brief moment and had the upper hand in Maputo, then quite inexplicably dropped the ball. This will go down in the history books as MDC’s political downfall.
Where is the Police?? They should arrest all MDC leaders soon after the rally if they mention one word suggesting that the election was rigged. The MDC should be destroyed, never to resurrect, by all means possible. Their continued existance provides fodder for imperialist destabilisation and aggression against Zimbabwe. We must treat the MDC as an enermy withing requiring complete annighilation.
Sebedebe you have delusions of grandeur. What imperialist cares about a basket case called Zim? No basics such as running watwr and passable roads. Hungry people fed by outsiders. A clear burden to other countries. But then again I forget you are a shameless crony.
Exactly why would mentioning of rigging a crime, unless of course you are confirming it happened?
I dont see how a Sakubva Rally is going to reclaim the lost opportunity to stand up to ZANU PF foot for foot and stop it from rigging. Uyuwo Munyaradzi Gwisai is a voice representing the braindead, dead wood and dogs. No human being deserves representation by such a brainless pervet. Haana chero komu chaiyo yekupetura bvudzi.
True most of the stuff they want to tell us they new well before the election. So what’s next after u tell us. Tell us strategies not what everyone knows.
Munyaradzi Gwisai is a loser since high school days and suprisingly he is still a bad loser.In 1986 Gwisai was a model nose brigade student at Chaplin High school.He was a typical sell out and dancing to the tune of the white dominated school admin.He had very high hopes of becoming the next Headboy but to his shock it did not happen,the next thing the same guy became a leader of rebellious Chibuku drinkers at Railton,smoking marijuana and all sorts. This guy lost out in MDC and we dont expect him to ever say something positive about MDC, grapes are sour chokwadi imwa Chibuku Enock.
MDCs were hopeful so was everyone for the turn of events. Partcipation in the flawed elections was suicidal but remember MDCs were not the only two other political parties in Zimbabwe, boycotting an election as two parties MDCs. Elections were still going ahead with either funded indpendences or ZANU PF funded like what they did with court case, ZANU PF was going to win without rigging but due vote apathy. The issue is the constitution does not comple a winning candidate to to strike a certain 50+1 of the of the registered voters, or with certain number out of the total population. That was going to ensure no voter apathy and winner out of those few who may have voted. A particular political part was going to loose even when its contesting alone since it will be against the registered voters.
VIVA MORGAN VIVA
Zen wapedza nyaya yose, asakura nekuzunza.
The more you explain how the votes were rigged the more stupid you become,the reason being that you were there when the new constitution was made,in government, in zec, you were included in almost everything so what were you doing? if you could not even secure your own votes how are you going to secure the people of Zimbabwe? People are not interested on how you lost they wan’t to know how you are going to win the next elections since you have history of loosing.
mdc t leadership is addicted to media attention just like the late Enos CHIKOWORE.media does not vote and it only gives you away to the enemy.I WONDER IF WORD DECEPTION IS EVER FOUND AT HARVEST HOUSE
Media is very important,that is why zanu pf does not allow any private media.MDC does not rely on media but they want the people to be told the truth.
MDC-T, it’s useless to continue crying over spilt milk! Rather strategize on how to create one MDC Party to remove confusion in the electorate and then start rebuilding the shattered image of the party. Splinter mdc parties are clouding the image of the real and original MDC(this was a creation of ZANU-PF and you don’t seem to realize the negative impact of this retrogressive loop-hole),people want a clear, confidant, focused, united and determined political party to lead them into the future. So, put your house in order first before the next elections or else forget about winning any election in Zimbabwe!
MDC have already failed its peoeple and cannot lead the people of Zimbabwe.Morgen must just fight for one or two seats in parliiament to get something every month.Otherwise uchadzoka kumusha kunotya mbeva.
viva baba mugabe and down with this pupet regime zanu pf foever
viva mdc viva comdrade that thing of zanu pf is over now we need strong team to pull zanu pf out because now he want his wife to be president who vote to his wife viva mdc viva we dont want zanu pf any more
viva mdc viva phansi na robert mngabe and his team amandla comdrade now is the time to pull out zanu pf
Zimbabwe is now go back to 80ts because Mugabe is go to rest at murombedzi sekuru endai kumusha monotamba nevazukuru kuda nyika igadzokere kuuchi nemukaka wamakatirasira tariraitave kugara musago
I am are zanu pf member but indeed some one to help baba Mugabe vaneta not john and Sara to be pre not machembere
Ayyappadas, thank you for the long comment. The pintos you make are very valid. I wasn’t trying to compare Iran and Zimbabwe and I don’t think there is any similarity. The only point I tried to make is that politicians like Mousavi and Tsvangirai who fight for greater freedom usually end up making a deal with the regime they fight against. It’s a bit like how in India after an election, politicians who fought each other join hands to form a coalition government.