Zimbabwe’s 2023 Elections: A Political Rematch
Zimbabweans head to the ballot box to exercise their democratic right in a very tight and contentious political race. This year’s parliamentary and presidential election proves to be more crucial than past elections, as it sets out to prove the state of the nation in a post-Mugabe era. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has selected 12 candidates to run on the ballot, yet the race has dwindled down to 2 men: Incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa, from the governing Zanu-PF party and Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). This is the second time the two men face each other in a general election, the first encounter being in 2018 where Mnangagwa won 50.8% of the general vote. While their presence on the ballot is not new, this election faces new and ever-complex challenges.
Incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa took over from his predecessor, former President Robert Mugabe, in 2017. Leader of the Zanu-PF party, Mnangagwa manoeuvres religious, historical and nationalist oratory to legitimise his government’s potential and continued presence. Mnangagwa, 80, has echoed that his government has boosted the economy, creating employment opportunities within Zimbabwe's agricultural and mining sectors. However, Zimbabwe’s economy has been crippled by hyperinflation, a cost of housing crisis and a remarkable depreciation of its currency since the adoption of the US dollar in 2009. Mnangagwa’s government has effectively neglected his Western relationships, steering more and more toward Russia and “his friend, Mr. Xi Jinping”. Zimbabwe has been under Western sanctions since 2009, due to former human rights abuses under Mugabe’s rule.
Mnangagwa’s opponent, Nelson Chamisa, launched his campaign under a promise of prosperity “for everyone” within Zimbabwe. His party, Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC), has based its campaign off of an entire restructuration of Zimbabwe’s economy with aims to combat governmental corruption, promote youth employment as well as to fully integrate into the global economy. Chamisa won 44% of the general vote in 2018, and has had to fight against violence and potential banishment claims made by the ruling party. Human rights activists have claimed that Zanu-PF has used dirty political tricks against their opposition, further fuelling political corruption within the nation. The latest incident occurred in early August, where CCC activist Tinashe Chitsunge was fatally attacked and killed in Harare.
The election will take place on 23 August. Analysts predict that the race will be a close one, with the results pulling in the ruling party’s favour due to its advantage of incumbency and high levels of rural voter support. However, the impact of the youth cohort’s vote may change things. According to Good Governance Africa, 65% of individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 have registered to vote for the up and coming election. With the cost of living crisis, rising youth unemployment rates and continually high levels of corruption, Africa and the rest of the world will have to wait and see if the youth’s political enthusiasm will translate into tangible and effective change for Zimbabwe’s democracy.