A day after the Zimbabwe apex court upheld President Emmerson Mnanagagwa election win, opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has come out to reject the court ruling.
“I have a legitimate claim that I should lead Zimbabwe,” Chamisa told reporters at a news conference in the capital Harare on Saturday.
Chamisa further said that they had the right to peaceful protest and other routes would be pursued.
Chief Justice Luke Malaba during the Friday ruling noted that the MDC alliance had failed to prove fraud accusations during last month’s vote.
Shortly after the ruling,Mnangagwa welcomed the ruling on his official Twitter page further extending an olive branch to the opposition.
“Nelson Chamisa, my door is open and my arms are outstretched, we are one nation, and we must put our nation first. Let us all now put our differences behind us. It is time to move forward together,” Mnangagwa wrote on Twitter shortly after the court announced its ruling
However the MDC leader noted that the opposition had reached out to Mnangagwa for dialogue but the president did not respond.
Last month’s election was seen as a chance to move on from Robert Mugabe’s repressive 37-year-rule
Mnangagwa, of the ruling ZANU-PF party, won the election with 50.8 percent of the vote – just enough to pass the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff against Chamisa, who finished second with 44.3 percent.
The legal challenge delayed Mnangagwa’s planned inauguration for August 12. It will now take place on Sunday.
