Zimbabwe to hold general elections in August; summons US ambassador over ‘meddling’ tweets

Zimbabwe will hold its presidential and parliamentary elections on August 23, the country’s president announced on Wednesday (May 31). The southern African country, which has a history of violent and disputed elections, summoned the United States deputy ambassador over a series of tweets which called for a peaceful election.

Zimbabwe gears up for national elections

The announcement of the dates was made by Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa through a government gazette, on Wednesday, which also set the date October 2 as a potential presidential runoff vote. Mnangagwa, who was elected president in 2018, replaced his predecessor Robert Mugabe who led the country for nearly four decades.

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Mugabe was ousted in 2017 after a military coup. The 80-year-old incumbent is already facing allegations of violence and intimidation from the opposition, while human rights groups have said that the Zimbabwe president is silencing criticism. Mnangagwa took office in 2018 following the general election a year after the coup.

In addition to the presidential election, the country will also vote for the 300-seat parliament and close to 2,000 local council positions. The southern African nation has only had two leaders since it gained independence in 1980.

Notably, Mnangagwa was a close ally of Mugabe and has attempted to present himself as a reformer. However, he has been accused of being more repressive than his predecessor who he helped remove from power.

In the upcoming election, Mnangagwa will compete with the 45-year-old lawyer and pastor Nelson Chamisa, party leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). The announcement of the election also comes amid the ongoing parliamentary debates over electoral reforms.

As per reports, Chamisa narrowly lost to Mnangagwa, in 2018 while his claims of election rigging were dismissed by the country’s Constitutional Court. Meanwhile, political analysts have said that the failure to implement electoral reforms may lead Zimbabwe up for another disputed election, reported Reuters.

The southern African nation is also in the midst of an economic crisis which has been attributed to Mugabe’s leadership. The opposition parties have reportedly also blamed the current government for corruption and economic mismanagement while Mnangagwa defending his ZANU-PF-led government blamed Western sanctions for the country’s financial and economic woes.

US deputy ambassador summoned by Zimbabwe's foreign ministry

The election announcement came a day after Zimbabwe’s foreign ministry summoned the US Deputy Ambassador Elaine French, for a meeting with the country’s foreign affairs acting permanent secretary Rofina Chikava for “election-related social media posts bordering on activism and meddling in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs,” reported the Associated Press.

The US embassy, took to Twitter, on May 26 posted an image and called for Zimbabweans to “Register to vote and make sure your voice is heard.” The foreign ministry said the tweet was against diplomatic protocols. However, US Embassy spokeswoman Meg Riggs said that they stand by their message of calling for peace during the election season and called the process a part of a “functioning democracy.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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