Zimbabwe to Hold General Election on August 23rd

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced on Wednesday, that the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections will hold on 23 August 2023, as the 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 Nelson Chamisa, 45, who leads the newly formed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).

The election proclamation comes amid parliamentary debates over electoral reforms. Chamisa’s party is demanding access to and an audit of the voters’ roll, as well as public media access which it says will help level the playing field ahead of the polls.

Political commentators say failure to implement electoral reforms may set Zimbabwe up for another disputed election.