{"id":38191,"date":"2018-07-30T04:53:41","date_gmt":"2018-07-30T02:53:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/38191-zimbabwe-votes-in-first-post-mugabe-election.html"},"modified":"2018-07-30T04:53:41","modified_gmt":"2018-07-30T02:53:41","slug":"zimbabwe-votes-in-first-post-mugabe-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/38191-zimbabwe-votes-in-first-post-mugabe-election.html","title":{"rendered":"Zimbabwe votes in first post-Mugabe election"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
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Zimbabwe goes to the polls Monday in its first election since authoritarian leader Robert Mugabe was ousted last year, with alleged ballot fraud and the likelihood of a disputed result clouding voting day.<\/p>\n

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe's former ally in the ruling ZANU-PF party, faces opposition leader Nelson Chamisa of the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) in a historic vote for the southern African nation.<\/p>\n

Mugabe, 94, who was ousted by the military in November, made a surprise intervention on the eve of the elections, calling for voters to throw ZANU-PF out of office.<\/p>\n

Zimbabwe's generals shocked the world last year when they seized control and ushered Mnangagwa to power after Mugabe allegedly tried to position his wife Grace to be his successor.<\/p>\n

Mnangagwa, 75, who promises a fresh start for the country despite being from the ZANU-PF elite, is the front-runner with the advantage of covert military support, a loyal state media and a ruling party that controls government resources.<\/p>\n

But Chamisa, 40, who has performed strongly on the campaign trail, hopes to tap into a young population that could vote for change.<\/p>\n

The election is Zimbabwe's first without Mugabe, who led ZANU-PF to power in a vote when the country became independent from British colonial rule in 1980 -- and ruled for 37 years.<\/p>\n

Speaking at his sprawling mansion in Harare on Sunday, Mugabe said that he hoped the election would \"thrust away the military form of government.\"<\/p>\n

\"I cannot vote for those who tormented me,\" Mugabe said, hinting he could vote for MDC.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

- A clean vote? -<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Zimbabwe's hectic politics reached fever pitch, Mnangagwa claimed that Mugabe's remarks proved that Chamisa was in an alliance with Mugabe.<\/p>\n

But Chamisa also spoke out saying: \"I have nothing to do with what president Mugabe would want to say as a voter. He is a citizen.\"<\/p>\n

Elections under Mugabe were marred by fraud and often deadly violence, and this year's campaign has been dogged by accusations that the result will be rigged.<\/p>\n

The MDC has raised repeated allegations of a flawed electoral roll, ballot paper malpractice, voter intimidation, bias in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and free food handed out by the ruling party.<\/p>\n

But campaigning has been relatively unrestricted and peaceful.<\/p>\n

\"After years of stasis, the events of November 2017 gave Zimbabwe the chance to dream again,\" Mnangagwa said Sunday in an address on state radio.<\/p>\n

\"As we have always said, the elections will be free, non-violent and credible.\"<\/p>\n

A recent Afrobarometer survey of 2,400 people put Mnangagwa on 40 percent and Chamisa on 37 percent, with 20 percent undecided.<\/p>\n

Mnangagwa, who is accused of involvement in election violence and fraud under Mugabe, invited international observers -- including the previously-banned European Union team -- to the poll.<\/p>\n

The EU team will deliver a preliminary report later in the week.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

- Desperate for investment -<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned of alleged intimidation and threats of violence in the run-up to polling day, but said it was encouraging to see open rallies and peaceful demonstrations.<\/p>\n

The next government must tackle mass unemployment and an economy shattered by the Mugabe-backed seizure of white-owned farms, the collapse of agriculture, hyperinflation and an investment exodus.<\/p>\n

Previously solid health and education services are in ruins and millions have fled abroad to seek work.<\/p>\n

Life expectancy has only just recovered to its 1985 level of 61 years.<\/p>\n

\"The governing ZANU-PF party needs to maintain a semblance of free and fair elections in order to attract fresh foreign investment,\" said the London-based EXX Africa business risk consultancy.<\/p>\n

\"However, there remain serious concerns over vote credibility.\"<\/p>\n

With 5.6 million registered voters, the results of the presidential, parliamentary and local elections are due by August 4.<\/p>\n

A run-off vote is scheduled for September 8 if no presidential candidate wins at least 50 percent in the first round.<\/p>\n

\"I'm excited, I'm voting for the first time,\" said Tawanda Mudondo, 18, who sells phone chargers on the street corner.<\/p>\n

\"I just want a government that will create jobs. I passed my exams but could not go to university. Our economy is trashed.\"<\/p>\n

fj-sn-bgs\/har<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Zimbabwe goes to the polls Monday in its first election since authoritarian leader Robert Mugabe was ousted last year, with alleged ballot fraud and the likelihood of a disputed result clouding voting day. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe's former ally in the ruling ZANU-PF party, faces opposition leader Nelson Chamisa of the MDC (Movement for Democratic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[2565],"class_list":["post-38191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed","ji_location-zimbabwe"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nZimbabwe votes in first post-Mugabe election - JusticeInfo.net<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/38191-zimbabwe-votes-in-first-post-mugabe-election.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zimbabwe votes in first post-Mugabe election\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Zimbabwe goes to the polls Monday in its first election since authoritarian leader Robert Mugabe was ousted last year, with alleged ballot fraud and the likelihood of a disputed result clouding voting day. 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