Zimbabwe elections: Mnangagwa up against Nelson Chamisa

Zimbabwe elections: Mnangagwa up against Nelson Chamisa

Voting is underway in Zimbabwe’s general elections as current President Emmerson Mnangagwa faces competition from opposition leader Nelson Chamisa and nine other candidates. These are Zimbabwe’s General elections since a 2017 coup deposed the late President Robert Mugabe.

Mnangagwa narrowly won his re-election bid against the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC) leader Nelson Chamisa in 2018. But Mnangagwa’s victory was strongly disputed. 

Chamisa alleged that the vote was rigged in favour of Mnangagwa and launched a legal challenge to nullify it. 

That challenge was struck down by Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court saying the opposition leader failed to prove fraud accusations.

EMMERSON MNANGAGWA V NELSON CHAMISA 

The SADC country will elect a new president, 210 national lawmakers and 1 970 local government and municipal leaders.

There are more than 12 300 polling stations that were open as early as 7am and will close at 7pm. 

Of the eleven candidates, there is one woman and 10 men. There are approximately 6.6 million Zimbabweans registered to vote out of a population of more than 15 million.President Mnangagwa cast his vote at the Sherwood primary school in his hometown of Kwekwe.

“I think this time around there was quite a lot of publicity,” he told reporters. “I think people, even the younger generation, are also interested in casting their vote,” he said.

Zimbabwe elections: Emmerson Mnangagwa against Nelson Chamisa  
Zimbabweans voting

ZIMBABWE ELECTIONS OTHER CANDIDATES: 

Joseph Makamba Busha: FREEZIM Congress

Trust Tapiwa Chikohora: ZCPD

Blessing Kasiyamhuru: ZIPP

Lovemore Madhuku: NCA

Wilbert Archbald Mubaiwa: NPC

Gwinyai Henry Muzorewa: The UANC

Harry Peter Wilson: DOP

The results are expected to be announced within five days after voting ends.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ZIMBABWE 

  1. Zimbabwe is a former British colony, then named Rhodesia. It broke away from London in 1965 under white-minority rule.
  2. After a long guerrilla war, it gained independence in 1980 and was also renamed Zimbabwe.
  3. Under longtime President Robert Mugabe, the fledgling democracy spiraled into authoritarianism and also economic decline.