Chamisa Not to Allow the Repeat of 2018 Elections in 2023 

The leader of opposition party MDC Alliance Nelson Chamisa has told supporters that he was not going to allow what happened in 2018 presidential elections to happen again in 2023.

Chamisa told this to the hundreds of mourners who were attending the memorial service of the late MDC Alliance legislator for Glen View South, Kennedy Dinar where he assured them that in 2023 he would ensure that the will of the people who vote for him is respected.

Chamisa contested for presidency in 2018 and narrowly lost it to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a result which the advocate disputed.

The MDC Alliance blamed Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for tempering with results in favour of President Mnangagwa. Chamisa even took the matter to the Constitutional Court but the issue was dismissed by the judges.

Despite that, the MDC Alliance leader still insist he was the rightful winner of the 2018 polls thereby refusing to recognise Mnangagwa as President.

Chamisa said, “We don’t want to get into a useless election. The people’s vote should be respected and that is the fight we are having with Zanu PF.”

He further claimed that his failure to defend his victory in the 2023 presidential elections would mean that Zimbabwean political and economic crisis would never end, though he did not give details on how he intended to guard his victory.

“Once we fail to deal with that issue then none of the country’s challenges will be solved. I even told that to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa about this,” he said.

Chamisa added the interference by Mnangagwa and the ruling party, Zanu PF on the electoral system had made the majority of Zimbabweans to believe that elections were unnecessary.

Recently, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga banned the holding of by-elections as a measure to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Chamisa also described allegations by outgoing US President Donald Trump that elections in that country had been rigged as utterances by a man under pressure.

“Look at what is happening in America, even the incumbent is crying foul that he has been rigged. He is under pressure,” said Chamisa amid laughter from mourners.

“It is a just system though and it allows that. Here the issue is that Mnangagwa did not forgive us for the 2018 elections when we took him to court contesting the outcome of the presidential election.”

Trump lost the US presidential election held last week to a rival Democrat candidate Joe Biden.

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