On Wednesday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa submitted his paperwork to run in Zimbabwe’s upcoming elections, stating that despite reports of an opposition crackdown, the widely watched poll would be peaceful.
He filed his application before a court in Harare, and after saying that “the process is going very, very well, and I’m happy that Zimbabwe is now a mature democracy,” he spoke to media.
On August 23, Zimbabweans will vote to choose a president and legislature.
“This process is so peaceful. This is what we want and should continue now during the process of campaigning, during the elections, post elections,” Mnangagwa said.
Last Monday, 39 opposition activists were accused with “demolishing” the ZANU-PF party’s offices, which has been in power since the country’s independence from Britain in 1980.
Five opponents were arrested earlier this month for allegedly attacking members of the ruling party.
Critics have accused the administration of manipulating the courts to target opposition politicians, and they claim that arbitrary arrests and repression have increased.
In recent weeks, the opposition and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have also criticised election-related measures as violating the Constitution.
The opposition has protested about significant increases in presidential candidature expenses, which have risen from $1,000 in 2018 to $20,000 now.
Nonetheless, at least five additional individuals joined Mnangagwa in filing their bid for the top job on Wednesday.
Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens Coalition for Change, the primary opposition leader and Mnangagwa’s main opponent, was among them.
Chamisa claimed he was certain of defeating Mnangagwa in the election, which is taking place amid widespread dissatisfaction with entrenched poverty, economic woes, and chronic power outages.
“The greater the challenges, the greater the dimension of our courage, boldness and fortitude to make sure that we win,” Chamisa said outside court.
“There’s no way Zimbabwe is going to remain the way it is, change is in the air,” the 45-year-old lawyer and pastor said.
“Victory is certain.”
