MDC-T president Morgan Tsvangirai, and ZANU-PF’s Robert Mugabe, both held their final rallies in Harare, a key constituency in this election which many believe will determine the future of the country.
Although both rallies were well-attended, they differed very much in tone and in some ways reflected the drama that defined the uneasy coalition which the two leaders presided over for the last five years.
The MDC-T rally had all the makings of a major festival. Supporters took over the streets of the capital on Monday, jamming traffic with convoys that brought loud singing and toy-toying on the way to “Freedom Square”, an open space near the Rainbow Towers Hotel where the rally took place.
Addressing supporters in a fiery red suit, Tsvangirai focused on forgiveness and a desire to move forward, saying he had been victimized but did not want to be consumed by this. He said that he hoped Mugabe would retire peacefully and urged supporters to wish him good will.
Stressing that the electoral procedures had so far been chaotic, Tsvangirai blasted the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and urged them to retire if they were incapable of organizing the poll.
“What is the electoral environment and what is the role of ZEC? In the last couple of weeks we have raised concern and sort information which we are supposed to have in line with the law,” the MDC-T leader told supporters.
Tsvangirai added: “It is clear that ZEC is either complicit or they have abdicated their responsibility to other forces,” and that he had told SADC election observers and other monitors “the credibility of this election lies “in the behavior and in the conduct of ZEC”.
In contrast, Mugabe’s last rally on Sunday is reported to have been less festive. The event took place at the National Sports Stadium, where many people are reported to have been bused in from around the country.
Mugabe repeated his familiar rant, threats and anti-western rhetoric. The ageing leader also warned Tsvangirai that he will be arrested if he announces poll results independently, before ZEC made official announcements.
Speaking to a correspondent from ITV at the rally, Mugabe insisted that the election was free and fair and no-one was being forced “to vote one way or the other”. He denied there had been any violence, saying “we are a peaceful people”.
Showing the more charismatic side he sometimes reveals, Mugabe joked that he would “suffer heart failure” if the results went against him in Harare.
SADC observers on the ground have reportedly witnessed some of the pre-election abuses perpetrated by ZANU-PF and its supporting institutions. But Zimbabweans no longer believe the regional grouping has their best interests at heart.
This will be the third time that Mugabe and Tsvangirai square off at the polls. It is widely accepted both elections, in 2002 and 2008, were “stolen” by Mugabe.
“I’ve got a very clear message for him today. Don’t dare do it again,” Tsvangirai told supporters at his final rally.
It is now up to us Zimbabweans, who have endured 33 years of the same oppressive regime, to decide the future of our own country and hold accountable those we choose to represent us. – SW Radio Africa News
Post published in: News