by Virimayi Chidembo
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa’s rhetoric that he has already prepared an inauguration speech and telling his supporters to start preparing for victory celebrations, claiming Monday's poll outcome is a foregone conclusion even if Zanu PF and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) connive to rig the results is indeed dangerous childish talk.
Chamisa seems to be oblivious to a simple truth that attracting huge following which are not even registered as voters is futile. Zanu PF has a mechanism to make sure all its supporters are registered that’s why the party has been winning since independence.
Since the formation of MDC it has been losing elections because the party had not put in place, structures that ensure its supporters are indeed registered as voters and not left to chance. Many a times, most attendees at his rallies are minors and drunkards who do not have time to think of registering, and this was confirmed by this writer at a recent Chamisa rally in Mabvuku.
Some of the issues that will be of major undoing to Chamisa’s campaign is failing to articulate bread and butter issues that Zanu PF has been addressing. Zanu PF touches on matters that affect the lives of the ordinary people both in urban and rural areas.
Possibilities that Zanu PF will get urban constituencies in the next Monday elections are very high considering that most urban councils were neglected during the reign of MDC councillors.
Chamisa said he had plans to transform the dilapidated infrastructure in the country and improve the socio-economic outlook of the country by introducing modern technology, without first addressing issues that are of major concerns to citizens. It’s a fact that the road infrastructure had deteriorated under the MDC-run councils and it had to take Government intervention in which feasible roads rehabilitation is being witnessed across the country after disbursement of funds from the state coffers.
Chamisa is even telling his supporters that he would announce election results, usurping the powers of ZEC which is a constitutional body mandated to do so. This is against a backdrop of the party calling itself being a champion of democracy.
Chamisa poked holes on ZEC, claiming the electoral body had just failed a credibility test. For God’s sake this is the first time Chigumba is running the election, why not giving her the chance to prove her mantle. She is an accomplished judge who abides by what the law dictates and using ZEC history to discredit is not only unfair but very unreasonable.
The MDC Alliance leader alleges Zanu PF had no support yet in all rallies either by President Mnangagwa and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga these have attracted huge followings across the country.
Chamisa is already purporting to have sealed a power transfer deal with the military. The military recently distanced itself from political parties’ issues when it pronounced that they abide the constitution.
Chamisa and crew should leave ZEC to perform its constitutional mandate.
