Zimbabwe will hold its presidential and parliamentary elections on August 23rd, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Wednesday, as the southern African country continues to battle a raging economic crisis.
Mnangagwa, elected president in 2018, will be seeking a second term in office. His election followed a military coup that deposed Robert Mugabe in 2017.
The 80-year-old’s main rival is lawyer and pastor is 45-year old Nelson Chamisawho leads the newly formed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
The opposition accuses the party in power, Zanu-PF, of repression against political opponents.
On Tuesday, Chamisa accused President Mnangagwa of being vague about the dates of the election.
The Zanu-PF party has been in power in Zimbabwe since the country’s independence in 1980.
