President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been severely criticised by the opposition for claiming that the 2008 Elections were free and fair. In an interview with the Economist, Mnangagwa also blithely claimed that there was no violence during the 2008 Elections and that no reports had been filed with the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP). Unsurprisingly. his comments did not go down well his opponents and po0litical analysts. Here is what some of them said:
Douglas Mwonzora, MDC-T Secretary-General said,
…This means this year’s elections won’t be free and fair if the President lies about the 2008 election. It is on record that Tsvangirai withdrew from that election because of violence, the regional body SADC and the international community condemned that election too.
Elton Mangoma, presidential candidate for the Coalition for Democrats (CODE) said,
…It shows his standard. If he considers 2008 elections, which were condemned by the international community to be fair, then it means we are talking about different things. It seems he is going to repeat what happened in 2008
Transform Zimbabwe leader, Jacob Ngarivhume added,
He knows the truth about 2008. He presided over the JOC [Joint Operations Command], which committed serious crimes when they tried to express themselves and it’s unfortunate that he is saying there is no violence. This is pathetic and disgusting
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