Morgan Tswangirai says he will accept Zimbabwe election result ‘if I win’

June 12, 2017
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MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai has said if Zanu PF rigs next year’s elections he will go the route of the American President, Donald Trump and refuse to accept the results.

Ahead of the US polls late last year, Trump raised fears that the elections would be rigged adding that he was not going to accept the results if his opponent, Hillary Clinton, was to win.

On Saturday, Tsvangirai said Zanu PF has lost support as it has destroyed the country’s economy for close to four decades.

“If this time they (Zanu PF) rig the elections I will go the Trump way and I will not accept the results,”Tsvangirai said while addressing thousands of his party’s supporters at Mkoba stadium in Gweru.

“We will not allow being led by a minority party. So, next year’s election is not about Tsvangirai against Mugabe, it’s about evil versus good.”

Tsvangirai said if it failed to set a new direction for itself during next year’s polls, Zimbabwe would be doomed for a “very long” time thereafter.

The MDC-T president said his party would continue pushing for electoral reforms before urging the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson, Rita Makarau, to live to her word that people would be registered to vote in a transparent manner.

“Justice Makarau must make sure that next year’s election is not contested,” he said.

“We have confidence in the Biometric Voter Registration system, which we are sure will not be manipulated.”

Turning to the coalition of opposition parties, Tsvangirai said no party should adopt the big brother mentality.

He, however, said the coalition should not be about opportunists who form political parties in the hope they would be handed supporters on a silver platter.

“Don’t just form a political party because at the end of the day you should ask yourself am I able to mobilise people,” he said.

“As MDC-T we will not play big brother but at the same time we are a party with a history, a party in parliament and well established in local authorities,” added the former premier.

In recent months, there have been disagreements on who should lead the coalition with some party leaders reportedly already jostling for the top post.

The former premier’s comments came a day after Vice President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, said the opposition should accept the 2018 election outcome.

Recently, the MDC-T said it had information that Zanu PF was plotting to rig next year’s election by bringing back Nikuv, an Israeli company which was largely accused of rigging the 2013 poll on behalf of the ruling party.