Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Wednesday that elections will be held on July 30 to choose a new president, National Assembly and local councillors. He added that a presidential run-off round, if required, would be held on September 8, local state-owned daily The Herald reported.
The July elections will be the first since former President Robert Mugabe resigned in November, following intervention by the army. Mnangagwa succeeded Mugabe as president.
“Monday, the 30th day of July, 2018 [is] the day of the election to the office of president, the election of members of the National Assembly and election of councillors,” a notification in the government gazette said according to Nigerian daily The Guardian.
Mnangagwa’s main opponent will be Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change, Al Jazeera reported. The network said that campaigning is underway without any threats of violence, unlike during Mugabe’s rule.
The European Union will send observers to monitor the polls for the first time in 16 years, AFP reported on Monday. Zimbabwe signed a memorandum with the European Union on Monday outlining guidelines for election monitors.
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