Tension Grows Ahead of Presidential Polls in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe will hold elections on August 23, 2023, and concerns have been raised about the impartiality of the electoral commission. Political analysts raised the alarm after changes at the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), warning that if not managed correctly, it could have an impact on the standard of this year's polls.

In a decision that has increased tensions in the southern African nation, a court upheld a ban on the planned campaign launch by the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), the third of its rallies to be banned as its leader Nelson Chamisa face hurdles on his campaign trail.

The High Court of Zimbabwe also prohibited exiled former Cabinet member Saviour Kasukuwere from running in the nation's presidential elections. The action is in response to a complaint that a member of the ruling party made against the former Zanu-PF political commissar.

Meanwhile, a new survey predicts that Chamisa and the CCC will win by a margin of between 8% and 9%. Almost half (47.6%) of respondents to an Elite Africa Research survey of 2,000 registered voters said they would vote for Chamisa, while 38.7% said they would vote for President Emmerson Mnangagwa.