By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Presidency of Zimbabwe has announced that nationwide polls to elect the country’s next President will hold August 23.
The government gazette announced this on Wednesday, ending months of on the date for the August elections. National Assembly and local government will also be held same day.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa “fixes the 23rd day of August 2023, as the day of the election to the office of President”, the government’s official record, seen by AFP says.
Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF party, which has been in power since independence in 1980, will face off against the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) led by Nelson Chamisa, a 45-year-old lawyer and pastor.
He will be Mnangagwa’s opponent for a second time.
Chamisa on Tuesday called on Mnangagwa to set a date for the poll after prolonged uncertainty and and blame trade.
The CCC also accused the government of tampering with voter register, saying many voters, including some senior politicians, had their names removed or misplaced on the register.
Zimbabwe, a country landlocked between Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia, has a population of 15 million, according to the latest census.
Mnangagwa took over power from strongman ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017 after a military-led coup but faces widespread criticism of authoritaranism and discontent over the economy.
The country has been plagued for years by deepening poverty, chronic power cuts and crippling hyperinflation.
Analysts say Chamisa faces an uphill battle this time around, in the face of a clampdown on CCC events and arrests of party officials.
The country is ranked 137th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2022 World Press Freedom Index, and 157th out of 180 countries by Transparency International for perceived corruption.
