Opposition boss eyes ‘Obama effect’
HARARE: Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader and presidential hopeful Nelson Chamisa believes he will ride a wave of youthful optimism to election victory later this month and emulate Barack Obama, Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau.
In an interview, the 40-year-old Chamisa said Zimbabweans were craving generational change in the landmark July 30 elections. The vote will pitch him against President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a septuagenarian who was once a pillar of former president Robert Mugabe’s regime.
“People are connecting with young leaders,” Mr Chamisa declared.
“The world is moving... young people are taking charge, look at France, look at Canada, look at New Zealand — look at the United States,” he said.
Barack Obama became US president aged 47, Justin Trudeau became Canadian prime minister at 43 while France’s Emmanuel Macron became president at just 39.
“Most of the young people out there are connecting with our message, are connecting with my age — they are connecting with the vision I’m articulating,” said Mr Chamisa.
Mr Chamisa has led the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) since the death of his mentor and predecessor Morgan Tsvangirai in February.
He will face off against 75-year-old Mnangagwa, whose ZANU-PF party — which has ruled Zimbabwe since independence 38 years ago — has sought to portray Mr Chamisa as a political novice.
“I’m happy that they are accusing me of being young, it’s an offence that I take,” said Mr Chamisa from behind an Apple laptop in his office overlooking Harare’s Africa Unity Square.
The public space was once a site of major protest against Mr Mugabe, who ruled for 37 years in which he clamped down hard on his political opponents.
“Change is in the air — it’s almost everywhere,” Mr Chamisa said, suggesting that Mr Mugabe’s exit from public life was “the beginning of that change”.
Mr Mugabe resigned in November after an unprecedented military challenge to his rule that saw armoured personnel carriers on the streets of Harare and drew accusations from some observers that Zimbabwe had suffered a coup.
The army, which took control of state TV and parked its tanks in front of parliament, denied it was seeking power and insisted it was performing an operation targeting “criminals” around Mr Mugabe.
That was largely accepted to mean his wife and her “G40” faction which backed her to succeed Mr Mugabe as president over his former deputy, Mr Mnangagwa.
Within days, Mr Mugabe stepped down as head of state, hounded out by the onceloyal ruling party.
“People are very clear on their choices, they know that (Mr Mnangagwa) represents the past with myself representing the future,” said Mr Chamisa who beamed confidently and wore a charcoal suit and a burgundy tie.
“There is no way Mr Mnangagwa is going to beat us, he is going to be a distant second — we are ahead by miles.”
But Mr Chamisa and his MDC party face an uphill battle to win the all-powerful presidency.
The opposition has been riven by division since Tsvangirai’s death with several MDC splinter groups emerging, threatening to dilute Mr Chamisa’s share of the vote.
Polling has also suggested that ZANU-PF still enjoys strong support in its northern heartland and in some rural areas.
Mr Chamisa alleged that issues with the voter roll and ballot papers were examples of “technical violence” and accused the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission of “manipulating the processes”.
“Whereas in the past we have seen an overt and flagrant violation of human rights, what we are seeing is almost a subtle, subterranean approach,” he said.
Mr Chamisa alleged that issues with the voter roll and ballot papers were examples of “technical violence” and accused the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission of “manipulating the processes”.
“But we are still very optimistic — once we have the printing of the ballot papers in a manner that is transparent, we are going to win hands down,” he said.