WHENEVER the US holds presidential elections, the world virtually comes to a standstill, for the incoming head of one of the most powerful nations, both militarily and economically, can make decisions that have a global effect.

The November 3 US presidential election is no different.

Shockingly, right from the outset, the electoral process for this powerhouse, was not exemplary at all. 

But what was most disappointing was the uncertainty hanging over the elections, even before Americans went to the polls.

The incumbent president of a country that portrays itself as the torch bearer of democracy was already discrediting the whole electoral process.

President Donald Trump predicted the elections would be rigged. 

He persisted with his accusations as the votes were being counted and was losing to Joe Biden in key states. 

He hurried to the Supreme Court apparently without any supporting evidence, the equivalent of our own V11 forms.

Bells seem to ring here.

One would be tempted to believe our own Nelson Chamisa must have gone through the same political mill as President Trump.

Remember how the then self-styled leader of the MDC went to the Constitutional Court to seek the reversal of the 2018 presidential election.

The naive pastor did not have any substantive evidence.

He went on to dismiss the judgment of the Constitutional Court, insisting he had won despite everything else.

Will President Trump behave any differently?

Mind you, this is a president whose country is always very keen to send observers to monitor elections in Third World countries.

Is there anything worth emulating in the conduct of elections, if the  recent US elections are anything to go by.

May be many, including Zimbabweans, are happy to see the back of Trump.

But wait a minute!

While the US chaotic elections might be looked upon as an in-house matter, illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe are not.

While President Trump was unrelenting on his stance on these inhuman sanctions, we must  realise that Biden might also turn out not to be a saint in this regard.

As far as Zimbabwe is concerned, the track record of the 77-year old  incoming president on this matter does not inspire much confidence.

This especially so  since our gripe with the US in our re-engagement process is the illegal sanctions. 

Biden is probably one of the few Americans who knows the intended effects of this harsh legislation.

This is so since he was one of the four Senators  who sponsored the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic RecoveryAct (ZDERA).

And the intended effect of the hostile piece of legislation was to ensure that Zimbabwe would be financially crippled.

This would, among other measures, deny Zimbabwe access to debt relief and lines of credit from the World Bank, IMF and African Development Bank.

This in turn would lower investor confidence, thereby discouraging foreign direct investment.

No wonder Chester Crocker talked about making the economy ‘scream’ so that the electorate would ditch ZANU PF.

This is morally repulsive.

On a social media clip in a debate on SA in 1986, Biden is  uncompromisingly opposed to the then apartheid regime of South Africa for its suppression of black South Africans. 

Could anything be more repressive than these evil sanctions?