Zimbabwe’s election campaign confusion
The race for the Zimbabwean presidency is being fought not only between established and new political parties but also within parties themselves, creating widespread uncertainty
Though Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, launched his first election-related WhatsApp group last week with a calm and welcoming greeting, he must be concerned about the muddled profile of his Zanu-PF party ahead of the elections that are set to take place at the end of July.It is increasingly unclear which of the two main political contenders — Zanu-PF or the MDC Alliance — will end up in charge of parliament, but it does appear that the MDC will remain in control of most urban areas during local government elections, which will take place simultaneously.It is also not clear whether Mnangagwa, one of a staggering 23 candidates in the presidential election, will win. He is strongly backed by the business sector, which worries about whether the MDC Alliance’s Nelson Chamisa is mature enough to lead the country. It fears that only Mnangagwa has the stature and skill to control the military, which brought him to power in a coup d’état last November.These elections are Zimbabwe’s...
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