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President Mugabe

Takunda Maodza Senior Reporter
WESTERN nations, no matter how powerful they may be, cannot overturn Zimbabweans’ choice of a leadership as it is their inherent right to select who represents them, President Mugabe has said.

Addressing over 60 000 people that thronged the giant National Sports Stadium in Harare today to witness his inauguration as Head of State and Government and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, President Mugabe thanked Sadc, the African Union and other progressive forces for their support saying their encouragement should see the country doing even better.

“Except for a few western dishonest countries, our elections have been hailed as peaceful, free, fair and credible. Sadc, Comesa, the African Union, ACP, the United Nations, as well as many nations of goodwill have praised our elections here. We welcome this positive spirit, this encouragement which should see us even do better, move forward faster as a nation,” he said.

President Mugabe said in all elections they were bad losers, in reference to the MDC-T whose leader and outgoing Prime Minister Mr Morgan Tsvangirai vainly challenged the poll outcome in the courts.

“But like in all elections, there will always be bad losers, real spoilers. It is a part price we pay for electoral democracy, indeed an inevitable phase in our growth as a people wedded to democratic practices. Where such a grousing stance remains non-antagonistic, where it expresses itself within the four corners of the law, it must be tolerated as part of the democratic tussle, part of post-electoral adjustments.

Mr Tsvangirai and officials from his party did not attend the colourful ceremony once again robbing himself of statesmanship that goes with being a former prime minister.

“As for those odd western countries who happen to hold a different, negative view of our electoral process and outcome, well, there is not much we can do about them. We dismiss them as the vile ones whose moral turpitude we must mourn. They are entitled to their views, for as long as they recognise that the majority of our people endorsed the electoral outcome, indeed for as long as they recognise that no Zimbabwean law was offended against. And for us that is all that matters,” he said.

Added President Mugabe: “After all, Zimbabwean elections are meant for Zimbabwe’s voting citizens. After all, Zimbabwean democracy is meant for the people of Zimbabwe who must, within set periods, go to the polls to choose and install a government of their choice. It is their sole prerogative and no outsiders, however superior or powerful they may imagine themselves to be, can override that right, let alone take it away from them.”

…..more to follow