News / National
Zimbabwe elections significant for the region and beyond
30 Jul 2018 at 11:05hrs | Views
Dr Heike Schmidt, Associate Professor in Modern African History at the University of Reading, says: "The outcome of the Zimbabwean elections is significant not just for the country, but the region and beyond. When the military effected a leadership change in November last year by removing Robert Mugabe from power, who had ruled the country since its independence in 1980, the nation was both jubilant and thoroughly disappointed.
The new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa has since run the country calmly, reasserting the power of the ruling party, Zanu-PF, and its elders, legitimizing their standing through their participation in the liberation war of the 1960s and 70s.
"The elections, if free and fair, provide an opportunity to establish a strong opposition presence in parliament for the first time since 1987 or to even topple Zanu-PF. What one can say so far is that pre-election violence and intimidation appears to be less than on previous such occasions and that President Mnangagwa appears utterly confident in his election victory."
The new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa has since run the country calmly, reasserting the power of the ruling party, Zanu-PF, and its elders, legitimizing their standing through their participation in the liberation war of the 1960s and 70s.
"The elections, if free and fair, provide an opportunity to establish a strong opposition presence in parliament for the first time since 1987 or to even topple Zanu-PF. What one can say so far is that pre-election violence and intimidation appears to be less than on previous such occasions and that President Mnangagwa appears utterly confident in his election victory."
Source - news24
