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Zimbabwe opens a new chapter in its history Monday by holding its first elections for nearly forty years without Robert Mugabe, a vote that seems promised to his former right-hand man and successor Emmerson Mnangagwa.
At the helm of the country since its independence in 1980, Mr. Mugabe, 94 years old today, was forced to resign in November by the army and his own party, Zanu-PF.
The regime's generals and caciques have installed on his throne one of their relatives, the 75-year-old former Vice-President Mnangagwa, who hopes to reinforce on July 30, at the polls, his authority over the country for the next five years.
His main opponent in the The race to power is the young leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Nelson Chamisa, a 40-year-old lawyer who wants to embody change and break with the old regime.
With the support of the army, ruling party and media of The state, the head of state is the favorite, against charges of fraud Mr. Chamisa.
"Emmerson Mnangagwa should most likely retain power after the election of July 30, leaving augur of a period of political stability and economic reforms ", has anticipated, with others, the badysis center BMI Research.
But the publication, in the last line of the campaign, a poll creditant the outgoing and his main rival of respectively 40 and 37% of the voting intentions foreshadowed a tighter election than expected.
If none of the 23 candidates – a record – obtains Monday more than 50% of the vote, a second round is scheduled for September 8.
In recent weeks, Emmerson Mnangagwa has been crisscrossing the country by deliberately turning his back on his past to present himself as the man of the revival of Zimbabwe.
– Renewal –
] "I am now Mr. New Projects", ad this week Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Long speeches, he promised the apogee of a "new democracy" and billions of dollars of investment that will, he says, rebuild a ruined economy by the crisis and by the catastrophic reforms of his predecessor
To bring foreign companies back to Zimbabwe, the president guaranteed "free, fair and transparent" elections, breaking with the violence and frauds that have tainted Mugabe era polls
Aside from a bomb blast that targeted the president last month in Bulawayo (south), the campaign was rather quiet.
"We are living an election period of an unprecedented calm, "Foreign Minister Sibusiso Moyo said this week
But the opposition has been denouncing for weeks already many irregularities in the preparation of the vote.
On the eve vote, Nelson Chamisa, has set foot in the dish by rejecting a vote in his eyes "biased". "The Electoral Commission is biased (…) there has been a systematic denial of international standards for disclosure of election materials," he pleaded.
Back for the first time in 16 years In Zimbabwe, Western election observation missions have so far failed to respond to these accusations.
"The international community wants an election that will allow it to get back to Zimbabwe," AFP reported. Analyst Showers Mawowa, of the Southern African Liaison Office. "Political and economic interests are such that the stability of the country will prevail."
– "Intimidations" –
Only the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has so far drawn the sounding the alarm by lamenting "intimidation" and "threats" to voters
Despite his accusations and fears, Mr. Chamisa refused to boycott the poll, convinced of his victory.
"Mnangagwa knows that defeat hangs in his nose.We will go to the polls and beat him, "he badured," the winners do not boycott. "
His badurance already suggests threats and tensions d 'here at the announcement of the results by the ZEC, announced for August 4.
"The post-election violence remains a possible scenario," worried Showers Mawowa, "and there are reasons to worry whether the military would accept a possible victory for the opposition. "
Eight months ago, the Zimbabwean street has hailed the fall of the autocrat with a thunderous applause, a sigh of relief and the promise of a better future.
Whatever her favorite, she expects Monday's vote that he finally gives the blow
"We have been suffering for too long, we have no money, life is hard", summed up on Friday Lustina Mudavanhu, a 68-year-old peasant who came to support Nelson Chamisa visiting Bindura, north-east of Harare
"Me I vote for the job, we need jobs", he replied without revealing his preference Rest Maphosa, a resident of the capital. "And even if I have to queue eight hours to vote on Monday, I will wait," he added, "I want to vote to be sure that Zimbabwe will finally be released."
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