Emmerson Mnangagwa from Zimbabwe: Call me Mr. Ground-Breaking

Emmerson Mnangagwa is a revolutionary 75-year-old politician. Mr Mnangagwa toppled Zimbabwe's long-time dictator, Robert Mugabe, during a coup last November to claim the country's presidency and he wants public approval in elections scheduled for Monday.

He is against Nelson Chamisa, leader of the opposition coalition of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) .

A record of more than 20 presidential candidates and 128 political parties will participate in the election

addressing a crowd of several thousand people who have gathered to see him in a new mine. he told them that they were going to get democracy and a serious rise in their standard of living

sayin "Zimbabwe will never be the same again," said Mnangagwe.

"We are planning to become a middle-income economy by the year 2030 and we are opening new ones (infrastructure). I am Mr. Ground-Breaking. "

This was warmly welcomed by the people who Mr. Mnangagwe said he was determined to hold open and peaceful elections. "The new (approach) does not tolerate the speech of Mr. Mnangagwe's ruling Zanu-PF party. all violence. Things have changed. More violence. We have told the entire international community that our elections are free, fair, transparent and credible. "

Regarding credibility, Mr. Mnangagwa has something to fear.

The 75-year-old He led the security services in the early 1980s when at least 10,000 people from the Ndebele tribe were killed by the Zimbabwe army during the Gukurahundi mbadacre

There led the bloody electoral campaign of Mr. Mugabe in 2008 when the dictator lost the first round of voting in the MDC of opposition

After a wave of deadly violence and intimidation, the MDC decided

I told Mr. Mnangagwe that some voters would be reluctant to trust him.

"You have promised the people of Zimbabwe a new dawn, new freedoms and prosperity. But you are closely badociated with the old regime – so why should voters trust you? "

He replied," You say the old regime. I can badure that the old regime has brought independence to this country and (people) were very grateful. We walked in difficult conditions. "

But the Zimbabwean president did not want to focus on the past."

"Now, those who want to live in the past, we can not persuade them to live in the future.But we say that we are going to the future, we do not live in the past."

Despite the president's guarantee of free and fair elections, civil rights organizations like We The People – formed by 7,000 volunteers across the country – have recorded hundreds of incidents of political and political violence. d & # 39; intimidation.

But that's something Mr. Mnangagwe is challenging.

In fact, he says that he has not received any information about a single incident

"On social networks, people can sit in (their) homes drink their whiskey and say whatever they want. "

"This is not what worries us, we worry about the reality on the ground.) Someone has been"

True, the atmosphere is more relaxed than the elections held under the control of Mr. Mugabe and the man who ousted him six months ago is absolutely confident of victory

. extremely happy with the response I receive from in the west – (from south to north) Monday is the deciding factor, and you'll see wonders when the Zanu-PF starts beating the victory with thunder. "

With that, he hit the table and came out of the play as a group of spectators applauded it.

President Mnangagwe is committed to the first real election contest in Zimbabwe in over 20 years – but he can only see one winner.