Zimbabwe opposition leader to be inaugurated as ‘people’s president’

AS Zimbabwe’s president Emmerson Mnangagwa embarks on the herculean task of rebuilding the economy, opposition leader Chamisa says there are increasing calls for him to be inaugurated as the people’s president.

Chamisa’s party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T), says the 2.6 million Zimbabweans who voted for Chamisa in the July 30 election will install him as president on Saturday.

Mnangagwa was confirmed duly elected president by the Constitutional Court after it dismissed a challenge by Chamisa last month.
He then took the oath before the country’s Chief Justice Luke Malaba, as required by the constitution of the country.

Section 94 Subsection 1 of the Zimbabwe Constitution stipulates that persons elected as president and vice-presidents assume office when they take, before the Chief Justice or the next most senior judge available, the oaths of the president or vice president.

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While ruling party activists have warned against the planned inauguration, saying it would amount to treason, MDC-T presidential spokesperson Dr Nkululeko Sibanda dismissed them, saying the people of Zimbabwe have the right to install a president of their choice.

Chamisa, who held his first rally since the election, told supporters that his party would hold its 19th anniversary at Gwanzura Stadium in Harare on Saturday.

“We are consulting the people on the way forward and next week, we are going to hold our 19th anniversary and our leadership had suggested that we do a swearing-in of the leader who was voted by the people,” he said.

In an interview with the NewsDay after the rally, Chamisa clarified that the people had actually installed him as president on July 30.

‘‘If you listened to what I said, this is an anniversary, but do you really understand what it means to be installed by the people? We were installed by the people on July 30 and a person is not voted twice,’‘ Chamisa said.

If Chamisa goes ahead and takes the symbolic oath on Saturday, he will join the ranks of Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga and Uganda’s Kizza Besigye.