President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced on Wednesday that Zimbabwe will hold its presidential and parliamentary elections on August 23 as the nation fights a raging economic crisis.
Mnangagwa, who was elected president in 2018, will run for reelection. Following Robert Mugabe’s overthrow by a military coup in 2017, he was elected.
Nelson Chamisa, a 45-year-old lawyer and pastor who is the leader of the recently established Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), is the 80-year-old’s major opponent.
The announcement of the election coincides with parliamentary discussions on electoral reforms.
In order to level the playing field ahead of the election, Chamisa’s party is demanding access to and an audit of the voter list in addition to public media access.
Political analysts warn that Zimbabwe may face another contested election if electoral reforms are not put into place.
Under Mugabe’s leadership, Zimbabwe’s economy saw decades of deterioration and brief periods of financial upheaval; the opposition accuses the government of escalating economic incompetence and corruption.
Mnangagwa has claimed that his ZANU-PF government has done well to reengage with western nations and attributes the nation’s economic difficulties and inability to pay off a growing debt to western sanctions.
If elected, the opposition CCC has promised to reinstate the rule of law and allow foreign finance.
