Malawi politicians learn from Zimbabwe elections: President Mnangagwa declared winner as defeated opposition leader rejects result
Malawi politicians say they have learnt a lot from the Zimbabwe poll, saying there was need to accept results to avoid violence and need to release election results as soon as they have been sent from tally centres as Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been officially declared winner of the of this week’s presidential election.
At least six people were killed by soldiers in a day of violence after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission delayed in announcing the winner of this week’s presidential election.
On Thursday evening, Zimbabwe’s embattled electoral commission announced that Mnangagwa of Zanu-PF received 2.46m votes or 50.8% of the 4.8m votes cast.
Nelson Chamisa, the candidate of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), won 2.14m votes and 44.3% of the overall, the ZEC said.
The President said he was “humbled “ on Twitter, and called the results “ a new beginning”.
The opposition party has rejected the presidential result because it was not able to verify the results, as Chamisa, 40, claimed he had won the “popular vote” and accused Zanu-PF, the ruling party, of electoral malfeasance.
Zimbabwe now faces new uncertainty and probably instability.
But Malawian political commentator Augustine Magolowondo said there was need for politicians to prepare for defeat and accept the defeat results after an election.
“It is the politicians who incited the violence. The opposition claimed victory even before the results were out, this incited the people, the supporters of the MDC,” said Magolowondo.
Ernest Thindwa, another political scientist from Chancellor College said the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission was to blame for the violence, saying the delay in announcing the presidential results raised suspicion of rigging and vote doctoring.
“There is need for the elections to be seen as credible, free and fair,” said Thindwa.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson Maurice Munthali said the lesson the main opposition party in the country has learnt is that there was need to draw the agenda from the people themselves.
“Parties should make research to find out what the people want. Unless you research well, you will discover that people are not with you on the polling day,” he said.
He said political party leadership should also accept defeat.
Joseph Chidanti Malunga, the spokesperson for the newly launched United Transformation Movement (UTM) said acceptance of poll results is crucial to avert violence.
“Let people speak their mind through the ballot box, all losing parties should therefore accept defeat,” he said.
Malawi goes to the polls in 2019 but the political landscape is already heated up with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) facing stiff competition from UTM as Malawi Congress Party, the United Democratic Front and Peoples Party have been pushed to the political sidelines.
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Easier said than done
Some people where saying this is young movements year for Africa and Chamisas rally attracited huge crowds 3 times Mnangagwa crowds always.Huge crowds does not guarantee more votes but rather people come to here your trashes and stupidity.Least we forget only sometimes youth come and attend hence has nothing to do while the majority sensible people stay put and decide somebodies fate in the polling booth.Age does not matter in Africa take it or leave it but Bewarned! !!!
Hahahaha koditu aliratu anthuwa. Those crowd are completely deceitful, kodi a Tembo ndi a Muluzi sanapange msokhano osowa poponda pa Masitha mu 2014? Did they not lose miserably against Bingu? Did they not? They did. Adzayimbanso nyimbo yozolowereka ija yoti “atibera” Actually by now they just have to start composing rehearsing or practicing nyimbo yake. Inetu ku Masitha kuja ndidaliko koma I went there only to see and I know also a few more people who went there to see also.
Wabera ma vote … kumalawI we know kuti DPP sidzawina nde adzawine kubera
As some wise politician once said……do not be fooled that those who vote have all the power in a democratic dispensation, its those that count the votes who matter. The biggest lesson perhaps for our political parties is that the poor, uneducated and disfranchised have the same rights to those who are rich, educated and fully empowered. unfortunately for Malawi we have 80% of our population in the poor rural areas whose inhabitants are uneducated, unsophisticated and disfranchised. The support you see and read on social media, print media and radio/TV is all talking to the 20% of the population. People can come to your rallies, dance, ululate, drink and collapse; that may not translate to votes. Malawi is very complicated and that’s why we ended up with as many political parties since the dawn of multi-party politics.
DPP’S team A and B strategy is to devide Votes, confuse voters.If Either team Wins you will see them merging.As for me I won’t be fooled nditoziwa omuvotera yanga yokha mwayirira.Simungandipusise.
The main stakeholder of elections is the electoral body. Have you asked MEC what lessons it has learnt from the mistake of its counterpart, ZEC when it delayed announcing results? Tensions rise and people begin to speculate when the referee is not decisive. This is exactly what happen sin Zimbabwe. Simply getting the opinions of political parties was not enough. In fact there is nothing new Malawians have learnt from the election in question because that’s how elections are conducted in Zimbabwe. Wasn’t it not similar to Kenya elections last year? Probably if the opposite had happened that could have been a lesson to Malawi.
Your Excellency Yahya Yahya Jammeh, first, the political environment in Zimbabwe was not improved in order to convince voters that they could oppose ZANU PF without fear of violence or retribution. Second, ZEC showed little transparency that it had sufficient criteria to verify votes in a credible manner. Third, computer system used by ZEC were prone to manipulation. Fourth, the longer Priscilla Chigumba took to release the election results the longer it increased the prospects that the results are being doctored. However, there was doubt that ZANU PF was bound to lose the elections judging by Zimbabwe’s past history in particular the Matabele massacre committed by the Chinese and North Korean trained 5th Brigade during ZANU PF rule under Uncle Bob. The Gukurahundi Operation as the massacre was code named hanged over Mnangangwa very precariously for he knew something about it. The issue invoked profound fear among those who were affected by the atrocities in particular in rural southern part of Zimbabwe. The opposition have to accept the results with a view to forge peace in the country. For now, its “Muruza imi” in Shona.
MCP has not been pushed to the sidelines. It is just enjoying peace. You will see what will happen on the polling day. DPP and UTM will suffer serious loses. Making noise does not mean votes, ask Nelson Chamisa of MDC.
Anything to learn from these African shambles? Almost a week waiting, really? With larger population in the UK for instance, you get results within hours. Likewise in the US, you get results much quicker. Zopusa basi. Chilima, make sure you watch out these dirty tricks next year.
Under 5 million people voted? What’s the population of Zimbabwe? No wonder another nkhalamba has won (probably rigged). By the way, his nickname is ‘Crocodile’. Go figure!
zitelenso kuno next year kkkkkkk ana achepa DPP Boma
Kikiki So, it is finally stated here, in the last paragraph, that MCP, UDF and PP are only on the sidelines! And that the real fight will be between DPP and its offshoot UTM! As outlandish as this sounds, there may be a grain of truth here: But how does this make the rabid cheerleaders of MCP, and its leaders – oChakwera and Mia – now feel? Miserable, and really disrespected, I dare guess.
But, back to one main lesson from Zimbabwe: The size of crowds at rallies, especially in the urban areas, may be misleading and meaningless. Chilima and UTM, the new bus company, have been frothing lately about the size of their rallies, especially in Lilongwe and Blantyre.
To be sure, there have been warnings a plenty that this is nothing to crow about; as the majority, may be as much as 99.9 per cent, of Malawian voters are in the rural areas. And so, the aim should be to cultivate and harvest this population for any victory.
In Zimbabwe, this is where ZANU-PF got it right, and MDF got deluded by overwhelming support in Harare and Bulawayo and other urban areas – but still lost both the Parliamentary and Presidential contests. The winners simply cleaned up the rural areas, where it counted.
Herein is the steep learning curve for Chilima and Bus Company. And, to be clear too: the Catholic Church will NOT and CANNOT deliver the rural vote en masse. The Bus Company has to campaign for itself first and hard; but time is NOT on their side. Equally important, Chilima is NOT really cut out for this rough and tumble life of politics. He’s clearly only being propped up by the Church and others; and he’s more comfortable in a designer suite and at the head of a business table!
Back to MCP: I do not believe they would be blown over to third by UTM even if oChakwera is consistently, as in the past, concentrating only in the Central Region. (The Chewa will always support their son) Currently, he’s acting as if akuopako ku M’mwera ndi ku M’mawa. Akuti ndi kwa eni! He and his Party are like a football team that is afraid to take the ball to the other team’s half; when that is only where goals are made. Can’t win a national election that way.
If the results is anything to go by to b true then definitely munangagwa should form a government of national unity otherwise Zimbabwe will fall again