KEY POINTS
- Nelson Chamisa, leader of the CCC, rejected President Mnangagwa’s offer to become the Leader of Opposition in Parliament.
- Mnangagwa’s ally, Christopher Mutsvangwa, rebuked Chamisa for turning down the position.
- The CCC continues to question the legitimacy of Mnangagwa’s presidency following the contested election.
Zimbabwe’s opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa has been criticized for refusing the presidency’s invitation to be the Leader of Opposition in Parliament.
Some of the ZANU PF bigwigs have criticized Chamisa for declining the offer among them being Christopher Mutsvangwa, a close associate of Mnangagwa who publicly scolded the opposition leader for refusing the position.
Chamisa rejects offer, questions Mnangagwa’s legitimacy
Chamisa declined the offer because he continues to challenge the presidency of Mnangagwa after the recent disputed election.
The CCC leader has been an outspoken critic of the election results, alleging that there was massive electoral fraud and voter intimidation, which he says distorted the democratic process.
Chamisa’s rejection of the parliamentary role is part of his overall rejection of Mnangagwa as the rightful president of Zimbabwe.
New Zimbabwe reported that Mnangagwa offered the position in an attempt to include the opposition in the political system of Zimbabwe.
However, Chamisa has not changed his position, his party still demanding electoral reforms and intervention of the international community on the political situation in the country.
Chamisa’s response to Mutsvangwa’s criticism
A staunch Mnangagwa supporter and a ZANU PF politburo member, Christopher Mutsvangwa, condemned Chamisa’s move, arguing that the opposition leader had missed a chance to be a positive force in Zimbabwe.
Mutsvangwa said that by refusing to accept the Leader of Opposition position, Chamisa is avoiding political participation and is neglecting his duty to lead millions of Zimbabweans who voted for him.
The words of Mutsvangwa are typical of the growing impatience within ZANU PF circles over Chamisa’s refusal to accept Mnangagwa as the legitimate president of Zimbabwe.
He told the CCC leader that he is more interested in his own agenda than the welfare of the nation and advised him to change his approach to the opposition.
The electoral injustice that the CCC has been fighting for continues.
The CCC has not relented on the call for electoral justice, insisting that Zimbabwe cannot progress with a blot on the recent poll. Chamisa’s party has promised to continue the pressure on Mnangagwa’s administration through demonstrations, court action and lobbying abroad.
What was perceived as a move towards the healing process within Zimbabwe through the unification of center of power in and out of the Parliament through offering Chamisa the mantle to lead the opposition in parliamentary proceedings has another time been spurned by Chamisa, the leader of MDC alliance which is a sign that the division between the electoral winner ZANU PF party and the losing side which is the opposition is deeper than ever.
The CCC has maintained that its aim is to fight for genuine democratic change, not to be given token positions that do not solve the problems of Zimbabwe’s crisis.
Hope for future dialogue
That hint of optimism is that the ongoing dialogue between the ruling party in Zimbabwe and opposition forces may reach a solution to the country’s political conflict in the future.
But for now, Chamisa’s refusal of Mnangagwa’s olive branch shows the problems that Zimbabwe has in both these areas as it continues to grapple with political and governance crises.
