President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a beneficiary of a November putsch, wants legitimacy bestowed on his regime by June. Mnangagwa figures legitimacy, attained through a free and fair election, will spare Zimbabwe the tarring of being a pariah state. Locally, legitimacy, a political currency recognised internationally, has been a familiar word since the bungled 2017 presidential elections. NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga, and about 65 per cent of the electorate, boycotted the repeat presidential election. Dialogue on national issues — electoral justice and ‘food insecurity’ — may bridge the legitimacy gap, but Jubilee is not interested.

Source: The Star January 23, 2018 20:48 UTC