Johannesburg - Zimbabweans on Wednesday
reacted enviously on social media to news that
Nigeria's former president Goodluck Jonathan
had conceded defeat in the country's landslide
elections.
Some Zimbabweans made reference to their own
president Robert Mugabe, now 91, who lost the
first round of presidential elections in March 2008.
Results were delayed for five weeks.
When it was finally confirmed that opposition
Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan
Tsvangirai had won more votes than Mugabe,
supporters of the president, backed by the
military, embarked on a campaign of retribution.
At least 200 MDC supporters were killed.
Former education minister David Coltart tweeted:
So Nigeria has seen a peaceful transfer of power
- why is#Zimbabwestill in the dark ages? #2008
— David Coltart (@DavidColtart)
User @lykmoor said:"We thank Nigerians for
voting peacefully. I wish if Zimbabwe could learn
from Nigeria, from a collapsed state to Africa'as
powerhouse.
According to the official 2008 tally, Tsvangirai's
first round lead over Mugabe was not enough for
him to be declared an outright winner. There were
strong suspicions however that the figures had
been manipulated to deny the MDC leader
outright victory. Tsvangirai pulled out of a second
round of voting, citing violence against his
supporters. Mugabe was eventually pushed by the
regional SADC grouping into a power-sharing
government that lasted four years.
In contrast, Nigeria's Jonathan on Tuesday
swiftly conceded defeat to Muhammadu Buhari, a
former military ruler. Buhari promised Nigerians
that "change has come".
"Well done Nigeria. Well done Goodluck.
Zimbabwe do take note," tweeted user @
LiyaJemima.
"If the Nigerian election had been in Zimbabwe
the results would have taken five weeks or more
to announce," said @gidi_gabriel.
The state-owned Herald newspaper, which is the
voice of the Mugabe government, carried an
agency story on Jonathan's defeat without
comment.
Tsvangirai decided to contest presidential
elections in July 2013, even though many
electoral reforms he had called for had not been
implemented and his party did not have access to
the electoral roll. The MDC leader lost to Mugabe,
who has been in power in Zimbabwe since
independence in 1980.
User @tinsmush said:
"Morgan Tsvangirai is trying to find a way to
compete in the next Nigeria election," joked @
Cde_Huruva.
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