Pro democracy activist and founder of This Flag Movement Pastor Evan Mawarire has revealed that he will be running for public office in next year’s harmonised elections. However, he said that he was still considering whether to run for MP or President or the are he will be representing. In an interview with the Daily News, Mawarire said:
Well, I think that the 2018 elections are a very crucial time for Zimbabweans and we have to be measured in terms of how we get involved, now what I said was that and what I continue to say is that the door remains open for me as a Zimbabwean, it’s my right to be able to stand if I so wish. But I think we have a lot of work to do to galvanise the citizens in Zimbabwe, to bring them around this idea of unity and especially hope. I think I have a job and a role to play on that so every day I am reassessing what my role is but certainly running for office remains one of those things that I would consider myself for.
Again I think it’s one of those things that as things continue to change my decision also becomes a little bit more pointed. I would love to run for a parliamentary seat, I doubt that there is anyone who would refuse to run for president if they had the chance because it’s an opportunity to develop our nation, to help people and it’s the most powerful position to do, so I think that again that still remains as lingering. I must stress how important it is for people like me to play the role I’m playing right now completely and to exhaust it, uniting people, bringing back hope and causing people to be courageous and bold citizens.
…I think that’s something I still have not made a decision about but certainly I think that a lot of young people need to make themselves available for constituencies where they grew up, where they currently stay, because they have grown up with the issues, they know what’s going on there and I think that’s the model that is going to help Zimbabwe. People that are from those constituencies or neighbourhoods should represent the kind of issues that they have seen growing up.
More: Daily News