The Constitutional Court has ruled in favour of Emmerson Mnangagwa, making him the duly elected President of the Republic of Zimbabwe. Inauguration should follow in the next few days.
MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa, despite losing his case at the Constitutional Court, has all the reason to walk tall after a thrilling campaign built from the ashes of the sad passing on of Morgan Tsvangirai, the party founding president, on 14 February 2018.
Chamisa put up a brave fight and deserves every one of the more than two million votes he amassed.
He had lots of inertia working against him, fighting Mnangagwa on one hand while handling factional issues on another hand following a court battle with breakaway MDC-T leader Thokozani klhupe.
Considering his inexperience at the top of Zimbabwean opposition politics, and the limitation of his financial, material and human resources compared to his main contender President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Nelson Chamisa worked against a lot of hurdles from both within and without his party to grind a very decent result.
Him and his supporters have every reason to walk tall and hope for the best next time.
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| It's Not The End For Chamisa; It's The Beginning |
President Mnangagwa and Nelson Chamisa took almost 95% of the vote between the two of them, making our nation a heavily polarized environment. As such, it is for the good of the nation that these two leaders show maturity and encourage unity in all their speeches and actions hereafter.
President Mnangagwa has already set the ball rolling by extending a hand to Chamisa immediately after Chief Justice Luke Malaba announced the ruling.
President Emmerson D. Mnangagwa tweeted: "I once again reiterate my call for peace and unity above all. Nelson Chamisa, my door is open and my arms are outstretched, we are one nation, and we must put our nation first."
If I were the fly on Nelson Chamisa's walls this evening, I would buzz a good song for him.
I would first congratulate him for inspiring many young people inside and outside Zimbabwe to stand up for what they believe in.
I would instil upon him the sense that he has not lost at all, but has won the hearts of many in Zimbabwe who now look upon him for inspiration and leadership.
Finally, I would urge him to attend national events starting with President Mnangagwa's inauguration. This will help foster unity and patriotism in Zimbabwe. Polarisation does not benefit anyone at all; unity of purpose benefits us all.
A task has begun for Chamisa; a task far more demanding than the presidential election campaign. The task is to unite Zimbabwe and address differences in a civil and mature manner.
Source - Felix Chiroro - Felix Chiroro is a Harare-based writer.
