Polls open in Zimbabwe’s first election since Mugabe’s removal

Polls opened on Monday in Zimbabwe’s first election since the removal of former president Robert Mugabe, a watershed vote Zimbabweans hope will rid the country of its global pariah status and spark a recovery in its failed economy.

The election will see 75-year-old President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a long-time Mugabe ally; face 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa, a lawyer and pastor who is vying to become Zimbabwe’s youngest head of state.

Voting began at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and will end at 7 p.m.

There are 23 candidates vying for the presidency, while 55 parties are running in parliamentary elections.

Campaigning has been relatively peaceful but security concerns were raised after an explosion struck an election rally by the ruling ZANU-PF party in the second city of Bulawayo, killing at least two people and wounding dozens.

Unlike previous votes, election observers from the European Union and the Commonwealth group have been allowed into Zimbabwe this time.

Goobjoog News