I Hope To See The Opposition Leader Criticizing Govt Openly, Transparently In Parliament - Mnangagwa

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said that he wants to have a health opposition which will hold the government to account. Mnangagwa also said that he hopes to see the opposition’s leader criticising the government openly and transparently in Parlimanent. In an op-ed which was published before opposition supporters walked out when he was giving the state of the nation address, Mnangagwa said,

Though the opposition leader fell short of the presidency, through this democratic vote he too has been granted an important mandate: to lead scrutiny of the government’s work in parliament. We must remember that elections are about more than who returns the most votes. For the free and fair Zimbabwe that this election augurs cannot succeed without the opposition holding those in power to account – launching criticism in parliament, not stones in the streets…Indeed, the role of opposition leader is critical to democracy’s function. The incoming administration will be weaker if not held to the checks and balances that parliament provides. Were he to renege on this role, it will only sap the nascent democratic culture taking root…I hope to see the opposition leader criticising the government openly and transparently in parliament – as the people of Zimbabwe deserve.

More: The Guardian