VISITING Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko told his ally President Emmerson Mnangagwa to work extremely hard to win this year’s elections which he said will not be a stroll in the park for the Zanu PF leader.
Speaking during the signing ceremony of eight bilateral
agreements between Belarus and Zimbabwe at State House yesterday, Lukashenko
said the Zanu PF leader would face stiff competition in general elections
likely to be held by end of July.
Mnangagwa was the darling of many Zimbabweans when he assumed
power after dethroning the late former President Robert Mugabe in a November
2017 coup.
But in 2018, Mnangagwa narrowly won against youthful
opposition leader Nelson Chamisa in a disputed presidential election. Since
then Mnagagwa’s stock has significantly dipped, opinion polls have indicated.
“My dear President, this year you're going to face a huge
challenge, presidential, parliamentary elections and local elections. This will
be a huge challenge for your nation, and I hope that you will be able to pass
through this. Please don't trust liars, there are no miracles. Good results and
success can only be achieved through hard work,” Lukansheko said.
“So, I am hopeful that this year you will make the right
choice. By making the right choice make sure that you will be able to show the
entire world that you deserve the independence that you won, and you're going
to preserve it further. The people of Zimbabwe deserve it, please be very
mindful and careful. With all this hard work you will be able to achieve what
you want to achieve.”
In response to Lukansheko, Mnangagwa said his Zanu PF party
does not lose elections. He dared all interested Zimbabweans to challenge him
because the “ground is open”.
“Let me assure you that since independence, Zimbabwe has
never omitted to hold general elections when they fall due. Every five years we
held elections since 1980 and the ruling party Zanu PF has been winning all
these elections. We shall continue winning. It's true that we are a democracy.
Last elections we had over 50 political parties which contested and I had 23
presidential contenders, and this is beautiful,” he said.
“The more we have people who want to become President, the
merrier it is. This time around I don't know how many want to contest. The
ground is open. In Zanu PF, we are extremely confident that we are going to win
these elections.”
On the bilateral agreements signed by two countries,
Foreign Affairs minister Frederick Shava and Belarus Foreign Affairs minister
Sergei Aleinik first established a Joint Permanent Commission where they
appended their signatures.
Other agreements were on reciprocal protection of
investments; mutual recognition of educational qualifications; avoidance of
double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on
income and property; contracts on co-operation of supply of tractors and grain
harvesting equipment; supply of equipment for the construction and
modernisation of grain storage complexes; supplies of machines and equipment
for the timber industry and co-operation between City of Harare and Minsk.
Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was honoured by Lukashenko’s visit
which demonstrates the “warm relations” between the two countries.
“This visit strengthens, deepens and consolidates our
bilateral relations. And as a result we agreed to open embassies in each
other's capitals. The two countries are victims of sanctions from the West.
From that point of view, we are twin sanctions’ victims.
“Belarus has a very developed agricultural sector, and we have begun benefiting from the mechanisation from Belarus. As you have seen we have signed protocols and agreements relating to the mechanisation, modernisation and industrialisation of our agricultural sector. We now wish to further this cooperation to extend to other aspects of the economy like mining and tourism,” Mnangagwa said Newsday
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