Republic of South Africa President Jacob Zuma with Republic of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe at their meeting in Harare on August 15, 2012. The two leaders discussed the Global Political Agreement., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Zuma endorses poll outcome, All urged to accept result, China, Kenya echo facilitator’s sentiments, MDC-T leader gangs up with handlers
August 5, 2013
Daniel Nemukuyu and Zvamaida Murwira
Zimbabwe Herald
SADC facilitator Cde Jacob Zuma, Kenyan President Mr Uhuru Kenyatta and the Chinese government have congratulated President Mugabe and Zanu-PF on their landslide victory in the just-ended harmonised elections and urged all parties to accept the result. Cde Zuma said the result should be respected as observers said it was an expression of the will of the people.
The UN, AU, Sadc, Comesa and other observer groups from Africa have endorsed the elections while the United States, Britain and its dominion Australia — who were not invited to observe — have joined MDC-T in condemning the election.
This has effectively put MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and his Western sponsors on one side, and Africa and Zanu-PF on another side aping the contestation in Zimbabwe over the past decade.
A Sadc diplomat, who declined to be named, said the issue was no longer just about Zimbabwe.
‘‘It’s now Africa versus Britain, the US and Australia. What is now on trial is Africa’s own verdict over its own poll versus European interests,’’ he said.
Analysts say Britain, the US and Australia — who are still to remove their sanctions regimes — were trying to defend their stance by parroting the MDC-T claims, yet the sanctions regimes, along with the pirate broadcasts they have since intensified, were the major outstanding GPA issue.
British ambassador to Zimbabwe Ms Deborah Bronnert yesterday told SkyNews that: “We have some very serious concerns about both the failures of very important reforms before the elections, but also some issues about the conduct of the elections on the day itself.”
Australian foreign minister Bob Carr yesterday called for a rerun saying without a new election, Australia won’t lift its sanctions regime.
EU ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Aldo Dell’Ariccia differed with the hawks, saying the EU was for dialogue, and its relationship with Zimbabwe would depend on how Zanu-PF uses its two-thirds Parliamentary majority, particularly where the Constitution is concerned.
President Mugabe won the election with 61,09 percent of the votes, while his main rival Mr Tsvangirai (MDC-T) polled 33,94 percent.
Professor Welshman Ncube of MDC accounted for 2,68 percent, while Zapu leader Dr Dumiso Dabengwa and Mr Kisinoti Mukwazhe of the Zimbabwe Development Party got 0,74 percent and 0,29 percent respectively.
In a statement released through his International Relations and Co-operation spokesperson Mr Clayson Monyela, Cde Zuma described the election as a success.
“HE (His Excellency) President Jacob Zuma extends his profound congratulations to HE President Robert G Mugabe on his re-election as President of the Republic of Zimbabwe following the successful harmonised elections held on 31 July 2013.
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