By Staff Reporter
HARARE-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared that the ruling party ZANU PF will not lose in the upcoming elections this year.
Mnangagwa made these remarks during the signing ceremony of bilateral agreements between Zimbabwe and Belarus at the state house on Tuesday.
The event was attended by visiting Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and his delegation of Ministers and top government officials.
Responding to Lukashenko who had told Mnangagwa to prepare for ‘tough polls’, the ZANU PF presidential candidate said his party does not lose elections.
“Let me assure you that since independence, Zimbabwe has never omitted to hold elections when they fall due. Every five years we have held elections and the ruling party ZANU PF has been winning all these elections.
We shall continue winning. It’s true that we are a democracy, last election we had over 50 political parties contesting and I had 23 presidential contenders. This time around I don’t know how many want to contest, the ground is open and as ZANU PFF we are extremely confident that we are going to win these elections,” he said.
Zimbabwe and Belarus Tuesday, inked eight bilateral agreements aimed at cementing economic and political ties between the two US sanctioned countries that are both close allies of Russia and
The agreements include the establishment of a joint Permanent commission and a Memorandum of Understanding concerning mutual recognition of educational qualifications.
An agreement between Zimbabwe’s foreign affairs Minister Fredrick Shava and Belarusian taxation Minister Sergei Nalivaiko for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and on property.
Twinning agreement between the City of Harare and Minsk, the Belarusian Capital was signed between Harare’s Mayor Jacob Mafume and head of the Minsk city executive committee Mr. Vladimir Kukharev.
Contract between Zimbabwe’s lands minister Anxious Masuka and the director of “Aftrade DMCC company Ms Olga Shevko on cooperation in the supply of Belarusian tractors and grain harvesting equipment was inked.
The agreement will see the supply of equipment manufactured in Belarus for the Zimbabwe construction and modernization of grain storage complexes.
Another MoU between Executive Director of Allied Timbers Remigio Nenzou and Shevko on executive cooperation in the framework of supplies of Belarusian machines and equipment for Zimbabwe’s timber industry.
Lukashenko’s counterpart Mnangagwa also said the two have agreed that Zimbabwe is going to open an embassy in Belarus.
“The visit by President Lukashenko strengthens, deepens and consolidates the bilateral relationship between Harare and Minsk. As a result of this, we have agreed to open Embassies in each other’s capitals,” Mnangagwa said.
Meanwhile Belarus opened its embassy in Zimbabwe last year in July.