Global Courant 2023-05-31 19:39:38
President Mnangagwa, elected president in 2018 after a military coup, is seeking a second term.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced on Wednesday that Zimbabwe will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on August 23 as the South African country grapples with a raging economic crisis.
Mnangagwa, elected president in 2018 after a military coup that ousted President Robert Mugabe last year, is seeking a second term.
The 80-year-old’s main rival is lawyer and pastor Nelson Chamisa, 45, who leads the newly formed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
The announcement through a government gazette also set October 2 for a presidential runoff, if necessary.
In addition to the presidency, the elections will also decide on the composition of the 300-seat parliament and the nearly 2,000 seats in the city council.
The election proclamation comes amid parliamentary debates over electoral reform.
Chamisa’s party is demanding access to and an audit of the voter roll, as well as access to the public media which it says will help level the playing field for the polls.
Political commentators say Zimbabwe’s failure to implement electoral reform could lead to new contested elections.
The economy has yet to recover from decades of decline and periods of financial chaos under Mugabe’s leadership, with the opposition blaming the government for rising corruption and economic mismanagement.
Mnangagwa has said his ZANU-PF government has done well to re-engage with Western countries, but blames them for Zimbabwe’s economic woes and failure to service a burgeoning debt.
The opposition CCC has said it will restore the rule of law and unlock foreign funding if it comes to power.
