ZIMBABWE’S opposition will find it harder to successfully challenge President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s legitimacy compared to the success it achieved with predecessor Robert Mugabe back in 2009, a former deputy prime minister has said.
Opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa and his party have refused to recognise Mnangagwa’s victory in the July 30 elections despite the poll outcome being endorsed by the country’s Constitutional Court.
By insisting that Mnangagwa’s presidency is illegitimate, Chamisa is hoping to force the Zanu PF leader to the negotiating table for the establishment of a national transitional authority.
Mnangagwa’s predecessor, Robert Mugabe, was forced to share power with the MDC after the violent and disputed 2008 elections, but former deputy prime minister Prof Arthur Mutambara the same outcome will be harder to achieve this time.
Mutambara was speaking in Harare this Tuesday as he launched at the launch of the second edition of his multi-volume autobiography series in Harare.
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Meanwhile, the book launch was attended by fellow academics and some of the luminaries from Mutambara’s days in student activism at the University of Zimbabwe who are now top opposition politicians or leading academics.
These included MDC leaders Elias Mudzuri, Douglas Mwonzora, Tapiwa Mashakada, fellow politicians Simba Makoni and Elton Mangoma, as well as long-time associates of Mutambara such as lecturer Munyaradzi Gwisai.
The book presents a detailed and carefully crafted narrative of Mutambara’s politics, from the formative years through to the watershed period between 2003 and 2009.
The account seeks to address misconceptions, disinformation and distortions about Mutambara’s political role and place in history.
More significantly, the book discusses the lead-up to the disputed 2008 elections and the chaotic aftermath, representing the first literary contribution of the formation of the Coalition Government from someone intimately involved in the process. – NewZim
