Tsvangirai Congratulates Sata

Sata who contested the presidential elections for the fourth time, trounced incumbent Rupiah Banda in an election marred by violent which left at least two people dead.

But in a statement to the media the MDC-T said the Zambian elections was a major lesson to the rest of Africa that it was possible to hold free and fair elections with an uncontested result.
“The MDC salutes the people of Zambia for voting and changing their governments in peace. The party further lauds Mr Rupiah Banda of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) for conceding defeat graciously.

“The Zambian elections are an important lesson for Zanu-PF to recognise that there is life after death and should follow suit, accept defeat and admit to relinquish power peaceful after a defeat,” it said.

The party added that it believed that the elections in Zambia had sent a clear lesson to both the emerging and established dictators in Africa that the people’s unfettered will must be allowed to prevail.

“Our Zambian neighbours have sent a clear message that the politics of machetes, knobkerries and guns have no place in modern Africa and violent polls must be a subject for the archives.

“We believe in the proud citizens of Africa in choosing their leaders with neither fear nor coercion. The MDC believes in free and fair elections; free and fair polls with undisputed results as necessary preconditions for breeding legitimate governments and leaders.

“Democracy is a prerequisite for development. There cannot be any development in Africa without the necessary democratic tenets and practices such as free and fair elections”.

As President Sata was sworn into office, the MDC appealed to him not to lose sight over the hard work that was being carried out by Banda and other SADC leaders who are working in resolving all the outstanding issues in the GPA and that the roadmap to free and fair elections in Zimbabwe is implemented.