Zimbabweans vote in first elections since Mugabe's withdrawal

Receive last minute alerts and special reports. HARARE – Zimbabweans began voting on Monday in the first election since the dismissal of former president Robert Mugabe, a decisive vote that they hope will rid the country of its globalization.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a 75-year-old ally of Mugabe, will face Nelson Chamisa, a 40-year-old lawyer and pastor. To become Zimbabwe's youngest chief of state

polls give former secret service chief Mnangagwa, who succeeded the army after Mugabe's overthrow by a coup d'etat. 39; state without bloodshed 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. Attract foreign investment and repair racial and tribal divisions

"People say, and I share their point of view, that something special happens in Zimbabwe" Mnangagwa said at his last rally at Harare National Stadium

"Once re-elected Monday with a real change mandate and a five-year term, I guarantee you that it is" coming and going "in our country.

Chamisa, a charismatic speaker who has perfected his art in the audience hall and pulpit, is winning over young voters and the unemployed who are frustrated by nearly four decades of Zimbabwe. The Front of the Patriotic National Union (ZANU-PF)

"The momentum is huge, the victory is certain, nothing can stop the people of Zimbabwe from claiming victory," Chamisa told reporters. Sunday journalists. : Nelson Chamisa “/>

"We are doing everything in our power to keep in sight … this election. "

In a surprise speech Sunday, Mugabe said he would vote for the opposition, turning against his allies once.

Mnangagwa later accused his former boss of entering into an agreement with Chamisa, but provided no "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, "said Mnangagwa in a video on his official Facebook page

. ] For Zimbabwe to return to the international fold, put an end to painful sanctions and secure the donor funding program it needs to stem the chronic shortages in Africa. He must at least approve the vote. of intimidation and coercion, and the state media are biased towards ZANU-PF but there is consensus on the fact that the process has been better than before.

New Zimbabwe?

Mnangagwa hosted in foreign media and international observers from the European Union, the United States and the Commonwealth were allowed to campaign freely.

Chamisa's 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 deaths and children

The ZEC has repeatedly defended its independence.

Although elections can not be considered "free and fair", analysts say they can be described as "good" if they are compared to cheating and the violent repression that marred Mugabe's votes

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

"Look what he did 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 about a "new" Zimbabwe, the opponents of Mnangagwa remind people that he's been a trusted lieutenant of Mugabe for five decades and has failed to keep his promises of change in the past

"How long are we supposed to wait for things to improve?" ED is full of lies like the rest of ZANU-PF, "said Chris Lore, a 26-year-old street vendor

" Chamisa is young, he has the energy to find us the jobs we need it is time to change, we have suffered enough. 19659004] Whoever wins will face the mammoth task of putting Zimbabwe back on track after 37 years of Mugabe 's which has been tainted by corruption, mismanagement and diplomatic isolation, putting a crisis in crisis. one of the most promising economies of Africa.