Movement for Democratic Change Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa who says he will be sworn in this weekend as the people’s president has revised his victory figure from 2.6 million to “over 2.5 million”.
While his supporters argue there is no climb-down as “over 2.5 million” could mean 2.6 million, one of his critics said this kind of mathematics did not work in politics.
The reactions were in response to a tweet by Chamisa which read: “11 Sept 1999, MDC was born at Rufaro Stadium. Going forward, the MDC family is reuniting & renewing. We salute you Zimbabwe. You gave us over 2,5m presidential votes. We won in all major cities and towns with over 28 mayors & council chairs, have 112 MPs. #MDC@19.”
Ronald Mbeke joked: “Am sure your account has been hacked. I thought it was 2,6” to which Kuda R Maunganidze replied: “He said over 2.5 million. 2.6 is over 2.5 isn’t it?”
Mbatatisi opined: “So tomorrow he will say over 1 votes because it’s just the same as 2.6million. Dzimwe maths hadzishandi ku politics.”
Prof Simplisio Muvunde said: “Mave pa 2,5 from 2,6 musadaro hama” to which Valentine Miller added: “Akudzika seRate yeBond.”
Chamisa, who got 2.1 million votes in the 30 July elections rejected the result saying he polled 2.6 million, beating Emmerson Mnangagwa of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front who was declared the winner with nearly 2.5 million votes.
Although Mnangagwa won the election challenge case at the Constitutional Court, Chamisa rejected the verdict and now says he is going to swear himself in this weekend.
During the court hearing his lawyers argued that the election must be nullified because the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission had revised its figure for Mnangagwa downwards so its credibility was now questionable.
Independent legislator Temba Mliswa yesterday said Chamisa was going through depression and needed psychiatric help.
Blessing Kasiyamhuru, one of the losing presidential candidates who came nineth in the 23-candidate race, called on Chamisa to swallow his pride and accept the result.
“Though it might sound rude, its paramount to accept the election came, results came, a mere miss remains a miss, they came close but what is needed is to humble yourself and swallow your pride that it happened and start rebuilding and go forward,” he told the Daily News.
“It’s still a victory for the whole of Zimbabwe so it’s important that we support the current leadership. I will recommend my brother Nelson Chamisa to shake hands and accept whatever the results and he being a Christian, God has allowed it, and we should now rally behind our leadership because God has allowed it.
“If he is a Christian like some of us, he should now be prepared to pray for them and keeping on respecting them despite that we went into competition together, they remain our fathers and we know that respect should never go away despite our differences.”
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