By Duncan Khaemba, HARARE Zimbabwe
Voting in Zimbabwe's 2023 General election has begun as more than six million people choose between 11 candidates jostling to take over the country's mantle.
Polling stations across the
countries 210 constituencies are expected to run from 7am until 7pm local time
(GMT+2).
There are 12,340 polling
stations in its 10 provinces and voters will be participating in what has been
called 'harmonised national elections' in which the president, members of
parliament, senators and councillors are to be chosen. Most of the seats are
directly elected hut senators will be chosen based on a proportional
representation.
This is Zimbabwe's ninth
general election since it gained independence in 1980 and ten presidential
candidates among them one woman are on the ballot.
Official opposition
leader Douglas Mwonzora of Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC-T) withdrew from the race claiming lack of conducive environment for a
free, fair and transparent election.
It leaves 45-year-old Nelson
Chamisa of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), who is an advocate and a
pastor, is the main opposition candidate.
The incumbent President Emerson
Mnangagwa, 80, who is seeking a second term, came to power in 2018 following
the ouster of late President Robert Mugabe by military generals in November
2017. Mugabe had been in power since Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980.
The presidential election is a
political rematch between the incumbent Mnangagwa and Chamisa who came second
in 2018 with 44.3 percent while Mnangagwa was announced winner with 50.8
percent which was disputed.
According to Zimbabwe
constitution, a winner must obtain 50 percent of votes cast failure to which a
repeat election between top two candidates shall be held within sixty
days.
In 2008, a repeat election was
held between President Robert Mugabe and official opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai after the first round failed to yield a 50 percent threshold.
Tsvangirai had won the first round with 47.8 percent with Mugabe landing 43.2
percent.
However, Tsvangirai pulled out
of the repeat poll following massive violence against his supporters marred the
election campaigns.
Key issues in the election are
the economy, chocking inflation which stands at 176 percent as of June,
unemployment and fate of Zimbabwe dollar which was reintroduced in 2019 after a
decade of dollarisation and has depreciated by more than 80 percent now.
One US dollar is
equivalent to 45000 Zimbabwe dollars, officially. It is more expensive in the
black market.
Incumbent President Emerson
Mnangagwa served in the Mugabe administration as minister then later as vice
president from 2013 to 2017 before falling out with Mugabe.
He fled to South Africa and
later returned to take the mantle after the military engineered a soft coup
against Mugabe.
In 2018, he was declared
winner in a tight contest. He has argued during campaigns that his
government has created many opportunities in the economy leading to heavy
investments in key sectors of mining and agriculture and wants to build more on
that.
On other hand, youthful
Chamisa is promising to resuscitate the ailing economy, fight corruption and
end Zimbabwe's isolation by returning it to the international community of
nations. Various sanctions were imposed on mineral rich Southern Africa country
during Mugabe's reign.
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