Depleted after Mugabe's long rule • TV channels

Zimbabwe was ruled by Robert Mugabe from the independence of Britain in 1980 until his ousting last year, leaving behind a country in economic ruin .

Here is some information about the nation of southern Africa it goes to polls on Monday.

Born after the war

British settlers date back to the South African region at the end of the 19th century, attracted by its mineral wealth and farmland.

Among them was the mining magnate Cecil Rhodes who gave his name to what became In 1965, colony leaders declared a unilateral independence of Britain, forming a white minority regime similar to that of South Africa from apartheid.

Black Nationalists launched a liberation war in 1972.

Negotiations under British auspices led to a ceasefire and elections in 1980 that led to independence, the country having been renamed Zimbabwe.

37 years in power

Mugabe took power minister in 1980, became president in 1987 after a change to the constitution.

He was ousted in 2017, then one of the oldest leaders in Africa and, at age 93, the oldest head of state in his reign, much criticized, was marked by the Opposition repression, economic mismanagement and corruption charges.

Mugabe first reached out to the white minority, but encouraged the squatters and so-called veterans of the war of independence. expropriate white minority farms, which fled by the thousands.

A 2002 election that gave it another term was tainted by violence and denounced as irregular by international observers.

He won controversial elections in 2008. In 1965, Mugabe was expelled after a military takeover in response to his efforts to position his wife Grace as a successor.

Emmerson Mnangagwa has completed the presidential term and is a favorite to win the Monday election.

Economic Catastrophe

The former attic of South Africa, Zimbabwe's agricultural production dropped after land grabbing It caused hyperinflation and GDP nearly halved between 2000 and 2008.

The Zimbabwean dollar collapsed and in 2009 was abandoned for the US dollar and the South African rand, with an unreliable fiduciary currency known as "bond bonds" introduced there at two years old

The crisis has led to mbad unemployment with nearly nine out of ten active people, the collapse of many public services and the shortage of According to the World Bank, nearly three quarters of the 16, 15 million Zimbabweans (2016) live in poverty.

Economic growth went from 0.7% in 2016 to 3.4% in 2017, but progresses more slowly The country is however rich in minerals, such as platinum, gold, diamonds and nickel, which can attract investors.

Wild Attractions

All reef and trophy hunters from the United States, Europe and South Africa.

Perhaps the best-known hunting park is Hwange, on the border with Botswana, where an American hunter killed in 2015 A beloved lion named Cecil has caused worldwide outrage.

Another tourist attraction is the Victoria Falls on the Zambezi, on the border with Zambia.

The country is also known for its athletic talents, including cricket and swimming. , with Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry double Olympic and multiple world champion

AFP