Historical elections: Zimbabwe has the hope of a fresh start – Politics – Current Politics News

A new chapter begins in Zimbabwe – with the first election since 1980 without Robert Mugabe on the ballot. Long waiting lines are forming in the polling stations

The Zimbabwean people elected a new head of state: it was the first ballot for almost forty years, the military president fallen Robert Mugabe no longer running in the elections. His successor Emmerson Mnangagwa is the favorite in the race, but opposition leader Nelson Chamisa is according to polls closely behind him.

Monday's election was peaceful and many polling stations were long. For the impoverished Zimbabwe, it was a directional decision: Mnangagwa, 75, had long been minister and later Mugabe's right hand man, he is a representative of the old guard. His electoral victory would extend the ruling party's Zanu-PF dominance in a fourth decade. On the other hand, Chamisa, 40, lawyer and eloquent pastor, takes a new start

If none of the candidates gets the majority, a second round will take place on September 8th. Whoever wins the election faces daunting challenges. Due to the failure of Mugabe's economic policies, Zimbabwe's economic output is currently about $ 900 per capita, lower than that of 1980. According to the World Bank, the dollar was introduced as currency in 2009, causing a deep crisis. There is record unemployment, although Zimbabwe has great potential: commodities such as diamonds, a well educated population and a good climate for agriculture. "We will win this election," said Chamisa at the polls in Kuwadzana, one of the poorest neighborhoods of the capital, Harare.

Zimbabwean voters hope for a brighter future

One voter said it was time for "a radical change in Zimbabwe". She chose Chamisa, said Miriam Mundaringisa, "because we need a new Zimbabwean, not the false promises of Mnangagwa." A first-time voter, Melinda Matukuturi, 21, said she would vote for Mnangagwa because he had a "vision" for the country. The president chose outside Harare and wrote on Twitter for a photo of his vote: "The voice of the people is the voice of God." This morning, he said that all Zimbabweans are brothers and sisters regardless of their preference. Elections were not seen as the perfect model for a democratic vote, but observers spoke of the most free and fair Zimbabwe for many years.

The opposition criticized in advance that the electoral commission was biased. In addition, Mnangagwa and his Zanu-PF party abused government resources – including state media – shamelessly for their election campaign, Chamisa said. For the first time in many years, US and European election observers were again present. The roughly 5.7 million voters were able to choose between 23 candidates, but only Mnangagwa and Chamisa from the MDC opposition bloc are offered serious opportunities. The first results will be announced this weekend.

Mugabe caused surprise in election campaign

The biggest surprise of the election campaign took place on Sunday: former President Mugabe, after months of silence, invited to a press conference and declared power Mnangagwa and do not vote for the ruling party Zanu-PF, which has been ruled by him for decades. Therefore, there are hardly any other options besides Chamisa. Mugabe was often brutal in his tenure against the Chamisa MDC opposition party. Mnangagwa immediately took Mugabe's high pass to distance himself from the ex-president. A vote for Chamisa is a vote for Mugabe, he said.

Mugabe voted in Harare with his wife Grace – it was the first time in decades that he could not vote for himself. He resigned in November as a result of a coup d'etat. Zanu-PF then made his former vice president Mnangagwa. Mugabe had ruled Zimbabwe since the independence of Britain in 1980 – more recently with an increasingly difficult hand. Mnangagwa, often called "the crocodile" because of his cruelty, was one of the artisans of the massacre in the Matabeleland region in the 1980s as an intelligence minister.

Thousands of Ndebele were killed. But now, he claims to be a purified democrat who wants reforms and wants to give more freedom to Zimbabweans. (dpa)

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