Concede defeat, Madhuku tells Tsvangirai
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Takunda Maodza Senior Reporter
NATIONAL Constitutional Assembly chairperson Professor Lovemore Madhuku has
urged MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai to concede defeat to President
Mugabe in last weeks harmonised elections.
The NCA chair criticised the West in particular the US, Britain and
Australia for siding with Mr Tsvangirai in trying to foment disturbances
and condemned some civil society organisations for unprofessionally trying
to discredit the elections.
Prof Madhuku, whose organisation observed the elections under the Zimbabwe
Election Support Network banner, distanced himself from the ZESN report that
is being used by some Western countries to cast aspersions on Zanu-PFs
crushing victory.
Addressing a Press conference in Harare yesterday, Prof Madhuku dismissed
vote-rigging claims, saying the votes cast were the votes counted.
He applauded the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for discharging its
responsibilities diligently despite severe constraints it faced.
The NCA notes with satisfaction the peaceful atmosphere that characterised
the period before, during and after the elections.
All Zimbabweans have a responsibility to nurture this peaceful environment
and desist from any actions which may directly or indirectly interfere with
the peace prevailing in the country.
The election results have been announced. There are winners and losers.
Every election has its winner and losers.
Given the peaceful nature of these elections and the compelling need to
move forward, the NCA urges the losers to concede defeat and take the
country out of the permanent election mode it has been for several years
now.
Prof Madhuku dismissed complaints raised by Mr Tsvangirai and other
political parties that lost.
It is the NCAs firm view that the complaints raised against the 31 July
2013 poll by the losers do not raise anything new and cannot be used as a
basis for rejecting the results of an election in which they participated
voluntarily.
It is not desirable to encourage a state of affairs in our country where
political parties participate in an election with only two scenarios: either
they win or they dispute the result. Losing must always be one of the
scenarios. In the circumstances for this particular election, the complaints
must be taken into account for the next elections and for the reform agenda
which remains very much incomplete, he said.
Added Professor Madhuku: The NCA, on its part, is convinced that the votes
cast on 31 July 2013 were the votes counted and announced. The NCA does not
know the reasons for that pattern of voting. The essence of an electoral
system based on a secret, one person one vote is that each of the voters can
only be sure about the vote he or she has cast. Provided that the votes have
been cast freely, the result is binding. The way forward is to focus on
moving the country forward while preparing for next elections. The interests
of this country require that we all move forward focusing on building the
economy of the country, deepening its democratic systems, promoting peace
and unity and encouraging all of us to participate in the public affairs of
our country.
Professor Madhuku, whose organisation contributed 1200 observers to the
5000-member Zimbabwe Election Support Network observer team, disassociated
the NCA from the ZESN report condemning the election saying the NCA was not
bound by everything Zesn said.
The NCA is not Zesn. It is a member of Zesn. It is not bound by everything
that Zesn says. I also read a statement (on elections) by organisations that
only have a letterhead and one human being. You have a very good letterhead
and you use that letterhead to just rush to say the elections are not
credible and so forth. These are the people that have cheated the losers.
They do not leave Harare. They do not know what the framework of this
country is like. They do not interact with people. It is not right to
develop an attitude developing in many civil society organisations right now
where they believe it is just a pen and putting it on internet and just
proclaiming that they were not credible, he said.
In an indirect reference to Mr Tsvangirai, Professor Madhuku said if anyone
wants to continue to run for elections in future, they needed to be alive to
the fact that people vote and have different reasons for voting the way they
do.
If you look at the American statement, I read it; it is pointing at issues
not to do with day of elections. It has to do with what was well known by
all the players
That attitude that you still go in (the election) and hoping
that if I win I will say they are credible, If I lose of course I have
enough evidence to say that the election were not credible and then you are
supported by everyone across the world, that is dangerous. No American will
die in this country; no British person will die in this country if we were
to start not behaving in a way that promotes calm and peace. For William
Hague (British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State), it is very
easy just to write a statement but they are doing it also for the education
of those interested in international relations. They are doing it for
domestic politics.
They have to be seen by their own voters for purposes of their next election
to have spoken against the Zimbabwean election, he said.
Professor Madhuku said to win an election in the US or UK, politicians must
condemn the electoral process in Zimbabwe.
They have no interest in free and fair elections per say here. They have
interest in protecting their own turf in their own countries. We love our
country. Now let us move forward. Peace, peace, peace, he said.
In statement on Sunday, Hague, whose Government has been sponsoring the
MDC-T since its creation, claimed the elections were not held in line with
Sadc guidelines and hence not credible.
The irregularities in the lead-up to the elections and on election day
itself, reported by the observer missions and in contravention of Southern
African Development Community guidelines, call into serious question the
credibility of the election, he said.
Sadc, the African Union and other observers that included Comesa have in
their reports declared the polls credible, free and fair.
Professor Madhuku said it was disturbing to note that the West was disputing
the election and urged Zimbabweans to remain peaceful.
The West is coming up with what had been said by the American Government,
what has been said by the British Government and Australian Government. It
is quite disturbing when you get those people saying they (elections) were
not credible and they seem to be suggesting that they will not recognize the
outcome. The unfortunate effect of that is that it would appear that the
West would then be seen as having wanted a particular result and that is
unfortunate but we stand by our position as the NCA that the country must
move forward. We must put the election behind us. Simply accept the result.
Go back to the drawing board, re-organize for next election and let the
country move forward. We want peace in this country. We should all be proud
of the fact that we have not had violent elections. The statement coming
from the West may encourage people to start then going out in streets and so
on. The reason for going on streets must not be on the elections. It must be
on other issued to do with bread and butter or to deepen our democracy, he
said.
Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni and Dr. Kiiza Besigye Uganda is in anarchy"
Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni na Dk. Kiiza Besigye Uganda ni katika machafuko"
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