President invited to Madagascar’s presidential inauguration
THE Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, which is coming from peaceful elections after taking a leaf from Zimbabwe, has invited President Mnangagwa to grace the inauguration of his counterpart President Andry Rajoelina.
The SADC nation held its elections last weekend with the electoral commission declaring President Rajoelina the winner after garnering 58,9 percent of the vote followed by Sit en yR andriana so lon iaiko, a lawmaker, who got 14,4 percent.
SADC countries that held elections recently are Zimbabwe and Eswatini while DRC will conduct its own later this year.
Next year, countries to hold elections in the region are Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Mauritius.
A delegation from Madagascar led by the Mayor of Antananarivo and former
Minister of Foreign Affairs Naina An dr ian ts it oh a ina had a fruitful meeting with President Mnangagwa at State House yesterday and expressed willingness to strengthen relations.
“We have been sent by President Andry Rajoelina who has been elected in Madagascar. In a few weeks, there will be the inauguration ceremony. We have been sent as special envoys to see the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe to invite him to come to the ceremony and to strengthen the link between our two countries,” he said.
Zanu PF national spokesperson Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa, whose party is revelling in it’s August 23 election victory, also attended the meeting.
“The President has indicated that he will be attending the investiture of his brother President Rajoelina of Madagascar.
“So as fellow SADC countries, we will be having that special occasion as we celebrate our elections, our democracy and celebrate our regional solidarity,” he said.
President Mnangagwa last week described all SADC member states as “one people” united for the common purpose of ensuring peace, stability, socio-economic development and prosperity.
The President said Zimbabwe appreciated the continued show of solidarity as well as the unwavering support rendered by the regional bloc.
“Dating back to the days of our liberation struggle, and indeed since time immemorial, we are collectively united by unbreakable bonds cemented by historical, cultural and family ties. We are one people.
“This unity, love and common purpose, among our countries, must be nurtured and defended for shared peace and stability as well as the socio-economic development and prosperity of our peoples,” he said.