As Zimbabweans go to their first post-Mugabe polls, there is a high level of enthusiasm as many feel this is a new era.
The turn out for the election has been impressive with long queues of enthusiastic voters seen at different polling stations. A total of about 5,635,706 registered for the elections with about 43.5% of these being under 35 years.
The battle will mainly be between the two top contenders. They are incumbent President, 75 year old Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zanu-PF and 40 year old Nelson Chamisa of the MDC Alliance.
Emmerson Mnangagwa is a shrewd politician who has been in the game for a while. His is nicknamed “the crocodile” and his faction is called “Lacoste.”
He has survived several assassination attempts and is also accused of being behind the attacks of opposition supporters after the 2008 elections.
Nelson Chamisa is aiming to become the youngest Zimbabwean and possibly African president at 40. He became a member of parliament at 25 and was a cabinet minister at 31.
He has also qualified as a pastor which explains his campaign hashtag #GodIsInIt. Some of his promises are considered to be unrealistic. These include bringing the Olympics to Zimbabwe and also introducing bullet trains in the country.
With the elections currently underway as at the time of this report, Nelson Chamisa believes he will win if it is free and fair. He said “We will win this election to the extent it’s free and fair… it’s a done deal.”
For Emmerson Mnangagwa who called on his supporters to vote with peace in their hearts, he said “We will swing or swim together.”
Source: BBC Africa