Zimbabwe Enters Election Mode

Posted by Daniel Jones African News, Featured, Latest Headlines, News Around Africa, South Africa, Southern Africa Sunday, June 25th, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Zimbabwe’s Ruling Zanu-Pf On Saturday Launched Its Election Campaign

days after the nomination court received applications from candidates

who want to contest the August 23 harmonized elections.

President Mnangagwa, one of the 11 that filed for the presidential

race, proclaimed August 23 as the date for the election to election a

president, members of parliament and councilors.

Mnangagwa is seeking a second five-year term after the first one in

2018 which came a year after he assumed power following dethronement

of former President Mugabe.

There were 23 presidential candidates in 2018, and the number fell by

half this year probably because of the hefty US$20 000 DEMANDED BY THE

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for presidential candidates.

Parliamentary candidates paid US$1 000 each to file their papers.

Mnangagwa’s closest rivals will be Nelson Chamisa and Douglas

Mwonzora, leaders of the two main opposition parties-Citizens

Coalition for Change and MDC-T respectively.

Other notable candidates that filed presidential papers are activist

Linda Masarira, former Minister in the Mugabe government Saviour

Kasukuwere, constitutional lawyer Lovemore Madhuku, Trust Chikohora,

Blessing Kasiyamhuru, Joseph Makamba Busha, Harry Wilson and Gwinyai

Muzorewa.

Mnangagwa chose to launch his party’s manifesto in Chipinge in Eastern

Zimbabwe, the district which was home to founding president of Zanu

Ndabaningi Sithole who had formed his own party Zanu Ndonga at his

death many years ago, and was only honoured with hero’s status last

month.

Speaking during the campaign, Mnangagwa said Zanu-PF is the only party

that can protect Zimbabwe’s independence and sovereignty.

“The democracy and one-man-one vote we enjoy today came as a result of

Zanu-PF. Zanu-PF will never return the land to colonialists

He said his government was implementing various programmes in an

effort to bust sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by western countries.

He said his party rides on successes in agriculture, energy and the

country will soon be food secure and not rely on imports.

He said Zanu-PF’s goal is to unseat the opposition from urban councils.

CCC and MDC-T control urban councils.

“In the upcoming elections let’s vote the opposition out of urban

councils. They are running down our cities and towns,” he said while

calling on peaceful elections.

While, Mnangagwa said his party targets to remove opposition from

councils, on the other hand, Chamisa a few days ago said his party’s

target is the presidential race which he narrowly lost in 2018 and the

outcome had to be decided by the courts.

Short URL: https://www.africanexaminer.com/?p=88995