Harare — Zimbabwe’s main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is convinced it has enough support to secure an outright win in upcoming elections. It is less confident it will actually be able to claim power. The country has not had a peaceful political transition since white-minority rule ended in 1980, and all the votes held since 2000 that handed victory to Robert Mugabe were marred by allegations of rigging and violence. While Mugabe was forced to quit in November and his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa has promised a free and fair election, the MDC says sweeping reforms are essential to ensure its credibility. "We’re preparing and planning for the best, but budgeting for the worst," MDC leader Nelson Chamisa said in an interview in Harare. "The worst is obviously a rigged election, a blocked transition, where we have victory but the military or some other force refuses to accept the will of the electorate." A lawyer, Chamisa took control of the MDC after its long-time le...
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