Zimbabweans vote in the first elections since the dismissal of Robert Mugabe



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Electoral posters are photographed on the walls of apartments in Mbare commune in Harare (Image: reuters)

Zimbabweans go to the polls Monday in the first elections since the withdrawal of Robert Mugabe, a decisive vote that They hope to eliminate the country from its global outcall status and trigger a recovery in its failed economy.

Elections will see President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 75, a longtime ally of Mugabe, face Nelson Chamisa, a 40-year-old lawyer. and the pastor who aspires to become the youngest head of state of Zimbabwe

Polls give former secret service chief Mnangagwa, who succeeded the army after the US military. Mugabe's ouster last November, a slight lead over Chamisa. This gives a second round on September 8 if no candidate wins more than half of the votes.

Nicknamed "The Crocodile", an animal famed in the Zimbabwean tradition for its stealth and cruelty, Mnangagwa promised to revive a moribund economy. "People say, and I share their point of view, that something special is happening in Zimbabwe," said Mnangagwa at his last rally at the Harare National Stadium

. re-elected Monday with a real mandate for change and a five-year term, I guarantee you that it is "coming and going" in our country. My commitment is to bring concrete change that will comfort all Zimbabweans. "

Chamisa, a charismatic speaker who has perfected his art in the audience hall and pulpit, seduces young and unemployed people who are frustrated by nearly four decades of Zimbabwe's National Union Front African-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF)

"The momentum is huge. Victory is certain. There is nothing to stop the people of Zimbabwe from claiming victory, "Chamisa told reporters on Sunday.

" We are doing everything we can. We are making every effort to ensure we win this election. "

At a surprise intervention on Sunday, Mugabe said he would vote for the opposition, turning to his allies.

Mnangagwa then accused his" The choice is clear , either you vote for Mugabe in the appearance of Chamisa or you vote for a new Zimbabwe under my leadership and ZANU-PF, "Mnangagwa said in a video on his official Facebook page

For Zimbabwe to be reinstated in the international fold, put an end to painful sanctions and secures the program of the financing of the lenders which it needs to stop the chronic shortages of the vote the vote is credible.

Cases d. intimidation and coercion have been reported, and the state media are biased in favor of ZANU-PF, but there is consensus that the process has been better than before.

Mnangagwa welcomed the media and international observers on the European Union, the United States and the Commonwealth, while the opposition parties were allowed to campaign freely.

The Chamisa Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has already discredited the process. He accused the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission (ZEC) of bias, citing the printing of opaque ballots and a table of voters including dead people and children

The ZEC has repeatedly defended its independence.

"free and fair," badysts say that it can be clbadified as "pretty good" when it is measured against the rigging and violent repression that tainted the votes under Mugabe.

Mnangagwa, often called just "ED", made a big effort to win over the international community; welcoming Western ambbadadors, courting foreign investors and even tying up relations with white commercial farmers who were violently evicted from their farms under Mugabe.

"Look what he's done in just seven months. The place has changed, "said Patrick Musemburi, a 37-year-old minibus taxi driver in the capital Harare.

" Let him finish what he started. "

For all his talk on a" new "Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa's opponents strive to remind people that he was a trusted lieutenant of Mugabe for five decades and that he did Did not keep its promises of change in the past.

"How long do we have to wait for things to improve? ED is full of lies, just like the rest of ZANU-PF, "said Chris Lore, a 26-year-old street peddler.

" Chamisa is young. It has the energy to find us the jobs we need. It's time for a change. Whoever wins will face the daunting task of putting Zimbabwe back on track after Mugabe's 37-year reign that has been tainted by corruption, mismanagement and diplomatic isolation, putting a crisis in crisis. Africa's most promising economies. 19659028] [ad_2]
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