DRC Congratulates President Mugabe on Election Victory In Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe of the Republic of Zimbabwe with President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mugabe was attending the inauguration of Kabila for another term in Kinshasha., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

DRC congratulates President Mugabe on poll victory

August 15, 2013
Herald Reporter

THE Democratic Republic of Congo has joined the growing list of countries from the Sadc region in congratulating President Mugabe and Zanu-PF for winning resoundingly in the just ended national harmonised elections.Sadc has 14 member-states.

The President garnered 61,09 percent beating his rival MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai who picked up 33,94 percent of the total vote.

Other contenders – Welshman Ncube (MDC), Dumiso Dabengwa (Zapu) and Kisinoti Mukwazhe (ZDP) – shared a paltry 4,97 percent.

Zanu-PF collected 160 National Assembly seats to MDC-T’s 49, with one seat going to an independent candidate.

In his congratulatory message to President Mugabe, DRC President Joseph Kabila commended Zimbabweans for the political maturity they exhibited during the polls. He said the elections were held in an orderly and peaceful manner.

“I would like to express the same congratulations to the people and brothers from Zimbabwe for having shown their political maturity in going for the polls with calm, order and discipline,” President Kabila said. “In entrusting you with the highest charges of the country through these polls the people of Zimbabwe expressed well the trust they place in you to lead them to a better future.”

President Kabila, who described President Mugabe as “dear brother”, said his victory would see relations between the two countries strengthening.

“While reiterating the excellent relations of friendship, fraternity, solidarity and co-operation that exist between our two countries, I avail myself of the opportunity offered to me by this happy event to express to you, Your Excellency, my constant desire to work with you to foster these relations.”

Several world leaders, observer missions and multi-lateral blocs have sent congratulatory messages following President Mugabe’s victory.

The African Union, Sadc, Comesa, ACP and the UN have also endorsed the successful polls.

Solidarity messages have also trickled in from Russia, China, Venezuela, Korea, Egypt, Malawi, DRC, Mozambique, Namibia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zambia, South Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria, Lesotho, Eritrea, Benin, South Sudan and Saharawi.

The United States, Britain and Australia, as widely expected, tried in vain to discredit the polls.

Chairperson of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation, President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania is expected to present the regional bloc observer mission’s final report on the harmonised elections during the 33rd ordinary summit of Sadc Heads of State and Government in Lilongwe, Malawi, over the weekend.

Zimbabwe is expected to be officially struck off the Sadc agenda with President Jacob Zuma being relieved of his mediation role.

The Malawi summit is also expected to deliberate on a wide range of regional issues, chief among them the appointment of a new leadership for the secretariat as executive secretary Dr Tomaz Salamao’s term is coming to an end.