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We won this election - President Tsvangirai
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T)
August 16, 2013

The only solution to the current crisis is to have another election, the Prime Minister has said. Addressing Provincial Council delegates at Queens Hall in Mutare yesterday. President Morgan Tsvangirai said real legitimacy of the election will come from the people of Zimbabwe. “Legitimacy does not come from outside. It comes from the people of Zimbabwe. AU, SADC and the outside will only give superficial legitimacy. It is the people of Zimbabwe who should legitimise an election,” he said.

The President explained to the people that Mugabe can rig an election but he can’t rig the economy. “If Mugabe really won the election, he should deliver what he promised to the people. If he succeeds, I will shake his hands and tell him that he really won the election. The truth of the matter is he can rig an election but he can’t rig the economy,” said president Tsvangirai.

President Tsvangirai assured the people that he will not betray the struggle of the people to have democracy. “We won the election but they stole our vote. What Zanu-PF doesn’t know is that they have made us stronger, more positive and more robust,” he said.

“Zanu-PF knew very well it could never win a free and fair election. The election was lost 20years ago when the military took over election process from the civilians. When voter registration was taken over from civilian, we should have known what it meant. When people’s names were recorded by traditional leaders, we should have known what it meant,” said president Tsvangirai.

The President said it is amazing that even Zanu-PF is still in a state of shock. “They can’t even celebrate. Their biggest challenge is how to garner legitimacy when the whole country is in national mourning,” he said

The President said everyone was hopeful for change adding that there was mass disenfranchisement through the voters roll, displacement of voters names, bussing of people, fake ink, chaotic special vote and some police officers given more ballot papers.

“We won this election, Mugabe know it. Zanu-PF knows it. The international community knows it. This was a massive fraud. The biggest question is what then is the way forward? What can we do as MDC? Interestingly, they (Zanu-PF) were already ready for us before we even reacted -(referring to police deployment everywhere).

“Some of you are scared of how they will spend the next 5 years under Zanu-PF leadership. Let me assure you that we will never betray the struggle of the people to have democracy. Zanu-PF can do all it wants but this time we won’t join them,” he said.

“They can’t force us to accept defeat when we know that we won the election and they know it. We are together till we win the fight,” the president added.

Speaking at the same occasion the provincial chairman Julius Magarangoma assured the people that they will remain strong and resilient until a new democratic government is delivered. “If Zanu-PF thought they had dealt with us for good, they lied to themselves. We have gained more courage than ever before,” he said.

He explained that simply because no one was killed it does not legitimise the election. “Simply because no one was killed, it does not mean the election was free and fair. People were heavily intimidated and there was massive fraud,” he said.

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