Zimbabweans vote on Wednesday in the country’s second election since strongman Robert Mugabe, who had ruled the nation since its independence in 1980, was overthrown by a military coup in 2017.
There are twelve candidates running for president, but the major race is anticipated to be between the opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, 45, and the 80-year-old “crocodile” Mnangagwa. Chamisa was barely defeated by Mnangagwa in a contentious election in 2018.
Chamisa wants to end the ZANU-PF party’s 43-year reign of terror. Since breaking free from the control of the white minority in 1980, Zimbabwe has only had two presidents.
If no candidate receives a clear majority of the vote in the first round, a run-off election will be place on October 2.
Additionally, the 350-seat parliament and about 2,000 local council positions will be filled by this election.
Some key elements of the Zimbabwe poll:
– 6.6 million registered voters, out of a total population of over 15 million, will directly elect their president, 210 members of parliament and 1,970 local elected representatives.
– An absolute majority must elect the president. A second round is organized if none of the candidates obtains 50% of the votes.
– Parliamentarians and local councillors need only obtain a simple majority.
– Ten men and one woman are running for president, and over 600 for parliament.
– Each presidential candidate has paid $20,000 to appear on the ballot, while the parliamentary aspirants have paid $1,000 each.
– Voters will cast their ballots at more than 12,300 polling stations open from seven o’clock (05:00 GMT) until 19:00 (17:00 GMT).
– With the exception of diplomats and their families, millions of Zimbabweans living and working abroad cannot vote unless they are physically in the country.
– Final results are due to be published within five days of the poll.