“Greetings in the name of freedom,” he said in his revolutionary but cultured tone.
“May I thank you most heartily for your votes and support.
“I feel overwhelmed and at the same time I feel humbled.
“I wish to address you tonight on the significance of the election victory you have awarded my party, ZANU-PF. In doing so I would like to thank all those who, either by their direct vote, as our supporters, or by their efficient campaigning, as our organisers, have contributed to this favourable result. In addition may I also thank all the officials who participated in the mechanical exercise of handling the elections, without whose organisational and administrative efforts the whole election process would have been a failure.
“Soon a new government will come into being and lead our country to independence. In constituting this government my main concern and that of my party is to create an instrument capable of achieving peace and stability, as it strives to bring about progress.
“Peace and stability can only be achieved if all of us, first as individuals and secondly as part of the whole Zimbabwean national community, feel a definite sense of individual security on the one hand, and have an assurance of national peace and security on the other.
“It must be realised, however, that a state of peace and security can only be achieved by our determination, all of us, to be bound by the explicit requirements of peace contained in the Lancaster House Agreement, which express the general desire of the people of Zimbabwe.
“In this regard I wish to assure you that there can never be any return to the state of armed conflict which existed before our commitment to peace and the democratic process of the election under the Lancaster House Agreement.
“Surely this is now time to beat our swords into ploughshares, so we can attend to the problems of developing our economy and our society.
“My party recognises the fundamental principle that in constituting a government it is necessary to be guided by the national interest, rather than by strictly party considerations. Accordingly I am holding consultations with the leader of ZAPU-PF, Comrade Joshua Nkomo, so we can enter into a coalition. What I envisage, however, is a coalition which, in the interests of reconciliation, can include by co-option members of other communities, whom the Constitution has denied the right of featuring as our candidates, by virtue of their being given block parliamentary representation. We should certainly work to achieve a national front.
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