HARARE – Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party has reportedly said that it is “not interested in any coalition talks” with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance as “it has total control of Parliament” and “President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s legitimacy is not under any threat”.
According to The Standard newspaper, Zanu-PF secretary for legal affairs, Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana, said there was no need for Zanu-PF to negotiate with the MDC leader Nelson Chamisa for any role in government because the ruling party had a clear mandate.
Mangwana also said that the election petition was a waste of time and the ruling party had “nothing to learn from it.
“We do not need to talk to them because we have the mandate to rule from the people of Zimbabwe. They can go to hang. People elected Mnangagwa as president. He is the father of the nation, and he wants his children to live in peace.The president did not offer the MDC Alliance a coalition government,” Mangwana was quoted as saying.
Mangwana’s remarks came after the country’s top court unanimously dismissed Chamisa’s petition over the July 30 poll results.
An AFP report said Chief Justice Luke Malaba dismissed the application with costs after strongly criticising the legal challenge.
Chamisa’s lawyers had argued that the results should be annulled due to alleged “massive doctoring” of the vote.
Mnangagwa won the election with 50.8% of the vote – just enough to meet the 50% threshold needed to avoid a run-off against Chamisa, who scored 44.3%.
The court ruling paved the way for Mnangagwa’s inauguration on Sunday.
