In August, Zimbabwe will vote amid allegations of a stepped-up crackdown on the opposition and one of the highest rates of inflation in the world.
Despite the removal of longtime leader Robert Mugabe in 2017, many claim that not much has changed.
There are concerns in the lead-up to the election about how free and fair the voting will be in a nation that is attempting to repair its reputation.
When are the polls open?
On August 23, Zimbabweans will cast ballots to choose a president, council members, and members of parliament. If there is no clear winner in the presidential election, a run-off will be held on October 2nd, six weeks from now.
Who is vying to become president?
There is yet no confirmation of the final list of candidates.
23 candidates stood for president in the most recent election, which took place in 2018, but fewer are expected to do so this time around because the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission increased the nomination cost from $1,000 (£800) to $20,000 (£16,000).
There are probably two leading candidates:
Emmerson Mnangagwa, the current president of the Zanu-PF party
Nelson Chamisa, the head of the opposition and a member of the Citizen’s Coalition for Change
Since Robert Mugabe was forced to step down by the military in 2017, Mr. Mnangagwa, 80, has been in charge of Zimbabwe. A year later, he won a contentious election. Before their breakup, he was Mugabe’s longtime ally.
In 2018, Mr. Chamisa, 45, finished second with 44% of the vote. He was removed as the leader of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) by a court decision in 2020, and as a result he was denied access to party funds and public money.
He founded the CCC in 2022, is still incredibly well-liked in cities, and serves as the chief spokesperson for the opposition.
Saviour Kasukuwere, an exiled former ally of Mugabe, Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC’s new leader, Elisabeth Valerio, a businesswoman whose United Zimbabwe Alliance Party was established in March 2022, and US-based businessman Robert Chapman are other candidates, but the likelihood of any of them winning is slim.
Final candidates for all elections will be confirmed by nomination courts on June 21.
Who will triumph?
The advantages of being in power, having access to state resources, and being incumbent go to Zanu-PF. The party, which has been in charge since the country’s independence in 1980, continues to enjoy a sizable following there as well.
However, many individuals, particularly those in metropolitan regions and the youth, believe that a change is necessary given the state of the economy.
Contrary to urban and youth voters, rural voters frequently participate in large numbers, which may work against the opposition. Additionally, the government forbids Zimbabweans residing abroad from casting ballots, which may possibly work against Mr. Chamisa.
It is difficult to utilize polling as a predictor of the likely winner of the election because many outcomes have been anticipated thus far.
Human rights advocates also claim that Zanu-PF has previously employed a number of strategies, like as violence and intimidation, official media blackouts, and disparaging coverage of the opposition, to maintain its hold on power. Zanu-PF has repeatedly refuted accusations that it has colluded with its rivals.
What are the primary concerns?
The cost-of-living crisis has remained at the center of voters’ worries, with the past three years ranking among the worst in the past ten years. One of the greatest annual inflation rates in the world, or 86.5%, occurred in the 12 months before to May of this year.
Amidst devastating power outages and a volatile local currency that lost 86% of its value between January and early June, companies are having a difficult time coping.
With a very low likelihood of prosecution, accusations of corruption continue to be frustrating. Equipment was allegedly purchased at exaggerated prices during the Covid pandemic; the health minister was sacked but later cleared in court.
How are elections conducted?
First-past-the-post voting determines who wins the election for council and parliamentary candidates, meaning the candidate with the most votes wins.
To be declared the winner in the presidential contest, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote; otherwise, there will be a run-off election between the top two.
When will the outcomes be available?
By law, the results of the presidential election must be made public within five days of the polls closing.
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They will be impartial and free.
Polls won’t be free or fair, according to civil society organizations and the opposition. They mention a systematic crackdown on government critics that they claim has occurred.
Over the past two years, there has been an increase in the arrests and convictions of opposition leaders and government critics.
The opposition has been calling for election changes to level the playing field, give access to public media, and remove former military members from the electoral board for years, but nothing has changed.
According to Mr. Chamisa, the leader of the CCC, during the by-elections last year, police prohibited or disturbed more than 60 of the party’s meetings, raising concerns that it would happen again.
Jonathan Moyo, a former politician from Zimbabwe, stated that Zanu-PF would not “reform itself out of power.”
How did the 2018 election turn out?
It will be Mr. Mnangagwa and Mr. Chamisa’s second encounter.
Five years ago, the president received 50.8% of the vote in the first round, but there was unrest after the election, which resulted in the deaths of six people when security forces fired on protestors.
While most observers praised the freedom of movement during the campaign and the comparatively calm election day, the EU, for instance, pointed out serious flaws including the abuse of public resources in favor of the incumbent.
The EU claimed there were significant mistakes in the official results as reported by the Electoral Commission.
Despite claiming that the presidential and parliamentary vote counts were incorrect by tens of thousands, Mr. Chamisa’s party was unsuccessful in its legal attempt to have the outcome annulled.
