The August 23 general election, Zimbabwe’s ninth since independence in 1980. Here’s a simple guide to the entire process.
Harare, Zimbabwe – On August 23, Zimbabweans head to the polls to choose the country’s next president in what political pundits believe will be a tight race.
Eleven candidates are vying for the top position.
But the race is largely seen as a rematch between Nelson Chamisa, the 45-year-old opposition leader and the man who defeated him in the 2018 presidential election, Emmerson Mnangagwa, the incumbent president.
Mnangagwa, 80, who took over the reins from Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s first president, after a November 2017 coup, is the leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF).
Chamisa has led the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) since it was formed in January 2022 after a split from the Movement for Democratic Change – Alliance, previously the leading opposition party.
The field also includes activist and constitutional law professor Lovemore Madhuku of the National Constituent Assembly.
Douglas Mwonzora, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) withdrew his candidacy on August 8 saying the election is a farce, but the electoral commission has said the ballot papers had already been printed.
A total of 6.5 million people have registered to vote across the 12,340 polling stations in the country’s 10 provinces.
