Zimbabwe Enters Election Mode
African News, Featured, Latest Headlines, News Around Africa, South Africa, Southern Africa Sunday, June 25th, 2023
(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Zimbabwe’s Ruling Zanu-Pf On Saturday Launched Its Election Campaign
days after the nomination court received applications from candidates
who want to contest the August 23 harmonized elections.
President Mnangagwa, one of the 11 that filed for the presidential
race, proclaimed August 23 as the date for the election to election a
president, members of parliament and councilors.
Mnangagwa is seeking a second five-year term after the first one in
2018 which came a year after he assumed power following dethronement
of former President Mugabe.
There were 23 presidential candidates in 2018, and the number fell by
half this year probably because of the hefty US$20 000 DEMANDED BY THE
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for presidential candidates.
Parliamentary candidates paid US$1 000 each to file their papers.
Mnangagwa’s closest rivals will be Nelson Chamisa and Douglas
Mwonzora, leaders of the two main opposition parties-Citizens
Coalition for Change and MDC-T respectively.
Other notable candidates that filed presidential papers are activist
Linda Masarira, former Minister in the Mugabe government Saviour
Kasukuwere, constitutional lawyer Lovemore Madhuku, Trust Chikohora,
Blessing Kasiyamhuru, Joseph Makamba Busha, Harry Wilson and Gwinyai
Muzorewa.
Mnangagwa chose to launch his party’s manifesto in Chipinge in Eastern
Zimbabwe, the district which was home to founding president of Zanu
Ndabaningi Sithole who had formed his own party Zanu Ndonga at his
death many years ago, and was only honoured with hero’s status last
month.
Speaking during the campaign, Mnangagwa said Zanu-PF is the only party
that can protect Zimbabwe’s independence and sovereignty.
“The democracy and one-man-one vote we enjoy today came as a result of
Zanu-PF. Zanu-PF will never return the land to colonialists
He said his government was implementing various programmes in an
effort to bust sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by western countries.
He said his party rides on successes in agriculture, energy and the
country will soon be food secure and not rely on imports.
He said Zanu-PF’s goal is to unseat the opposition from urban councils.
CCC and MDC-T control urban councils.
“In the upcoming elections let’s vote the opposition out of urban
councils. They are running down our cities and towns,” he said while
calling on peaceful elections.
While, Mnangagwa said his party targets to remove opposition from
councils, on the other hand, Chamisa a few days ago said his party’s
target is the presidential race which he narrowly lost in 2018 and the
outcome had to be decided by the courts.
Short URL: https://www.africanexaminer.com/?p=88995
