Zimbabwe’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Chris Mutsvangwa, says there is hope that Republicans and Democrats in the United States, who were engaged in crucial elections Tuesday, will work well together and remove targeted sanctions imposed on the Zanu-PF government.
Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe’s new ambassador, Mr. Ammon Machingambi Mutembwa, is expected to work hard towards the removal of sanctions imposed on President Robert Mugabe and his inner circle under the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001.
He said the ambassador will also engage Washington in strengthening trade between the two nations.
Also commenting on the result of the elections in which Republicans trounced the Democrats to maintain its hold of the House of Representatives and recapture the Senate, political analyst Dr. Moses Rumano, said President Obama’s party was affected by his foreign policy resulting in Tuesday night’s huge loss.
U.S. President Barack Obama and the leader of the new Republican majority in the Senate are pledging to cooperate in passing legislation, while conceding they are not going always going to reach agreement.
A day after Republicans won full control of the U.S. Congress for the first time since 2007, the Democratic president said Wednesday he is certain there are some issues the fractious American political parties can agree on.
"If there are ideas that the Republicans have that I have confidence will make things better for ordinary Americans, the fact that a Republican is suggesting it, as opposed to a Democrat, that will be irrelevant to me. I want to just see what works."
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky holds a news conference in Louisville, Kentucky, Nov. 5, 2014.
Meanwhile, the presumptive Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said he will work with Obama to win approval on international trade pacts and tax reform, and said they agreed in a telephone call to look for issues where they could reach accord.
McConnell said one message of the election is that a politically divided government need not result in continued gridlock in Washington.
"There are a lot of people who believe that just because you have divided government does not mean you do not accomplish anything," he said.
Obama said at a news conference that he is looking for broad agreement with Congress, but acknowledged the Republican Congress is likely to approve some legislation he cannot sign. McConnell agreed that the president might veto some Republican legislation.
One point of contention could emerge before the end of the year. Obama repeated his promise to unilaterally change the country's immigration policies, a move that could allow millions of migrants who entered the country illegally to stay in the United States. McConnell said he hopes the president will not take such action.
But Obama said he will act because the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has balked at acting on a comprehensive immigration measure approved by the Senate.
Democrats held 55 of the Senate's 100 seats before Tuesday's congressional elections, but Republicans gained at least seven seats with wins in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia. Three races were still undecided on Wednesday.
The results were a stinging rebuff to Obama, who was not on the ballot, but said his policies were. He has invited congressional leaders to the White House for a Friday meeting to discuss legislative priorities.
While taking over Senate control come January, Republicans added at least 14 seats in the 435-member House, where they already held 233 seats. It will be the Republicans' biggest majority since the 1940s.
House Speaker John Boehner said the Republican-controlled Congress will work on energy and jobs legislation that he says Senate Democrats have been stalling while in control. He said "it is time for government to start getting results."
With control of Congress, McConnell said Republicans will continue to address disputes with Obama over his signature legislative achievement, health care reform. Many Republicans view the law as excessive government involvement and have repeatedly called for its repeal.