[ad_1]
Nelson Chamisa, who turned 40 in February, has only a few months to be president of Zimbabwe under the constitutional minimum age limit.
But he hopes that on Monday his youth will be the force propelled to electoral victory against all obstacles.
Chamisa joins the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) when it was founded in 1999.
He took the party lead this year after a messy succession battle After the death of veteran veteran Morgan Tsvangirai [19659005] Dynamic and energetic, Chamisa is faced with the task of overthrowing a ruling party that has held an iron fist over the government since Zimbabwe's independence in 1980.
But Chamisa believes the shock in November Last, long-time leader Robert Mugabe reshaped national politics, giving him the chance to win the July 30 election.
Chamisa, a lawyer and church pastor, was first arrested several times for his political activities
In 2007, he was severely beaten with batons and a bar of iron and left for dead.
He spent five days in the hospital after the attack, widely blamed on the rogue Zanu-PF party.
Despite the risks, he continues to challenge the regime and he is now facing Mugabe's successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, 75, in a presidential race of 23 candidates.
File: AFP
Born in Masvingo, south of the capital Harare, Chamisa studied law and political science at the University of Zimbabwe and has a degree in theology.
He attributes his career to his parents "Insisting that he values education and excelled at school
In the late 90s, Chamisa was part of the organizers of mbadive demonstrations against the Mugabe government that had led to the closure of colleges and universities
. He has risen up the ranks of the MDC party, including positions of spokesman for the youth wing and party spokesman.
Over the years, he has earned a reputation for delivering pbadionate and humorous speeches – a stark contrast to the dark Mnangagwa. In the power-sharing government after the 2008 elections, he was the youngest cabinet member, as the minister of information and communication technologies.
Chamisa's mentor was the founder of MDC Tsvangir ai, who died of cancer in February
* To follow the last elections in Zimbabwe REGISTER FOR THE RIGHT MAN
AFRICA NEWSLETTER
FOLLOW News24 Africa on Twitter and Facebook.
The party's internal rivalries sparked a destructive leadership battle that Chamisa is still struggling to repair.
File: AFP
On the road to the countryside, he led with conviction, spoke to dozens of rallies and managed to maintain his profile public by attacking the electoral authorities and the ruling party.
In an interview with AFP, he stated that he would carry a wave of optimism juvenile to victory, imitating Barack Obama, Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau
. Chamisa, who is married and father of a child, said: "Young people take things in their own hands, look at France, look at Canada … look at the United States," he says.
He claims that the election is tainted with fraud but has promised not to boycott him, saying that he will win and that his party will not resort to violence. "We can not boycott our mandate, the winners do not boycott," he said. "Victory is inevitable."
File: AFP
[ad_2]
Source link
