HARARE - Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has set August 23 as the long-awaited election date, ending speculation about the timing of the polls.
The 80-year-old President, who has been in power since a 2017 military coup that toppled long-time former ruler Robert Mugabe, made the proclamation after some haggling over electoral reforms.
Parliament is still debating contentious proposed amendments to the Electoral Act that were supposed to come into effect before the polls.
With the announcement of the date of the polls, the election reforms will likely be abandoned, legal experts said. Mnangagwa, whose first full term of office ends on August 26 after narrowly beating then 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa in the disputed 2018 elections, said nomination courts would vet aspiring presidential, parliamentary and local government poll candidates on June 21.
The presidential election run-off has been set for October 2. To avoid a run-off, a presidential candidate must win 50 percent plus one vote.
Chamisa, who now leads the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) that was formed last year, had earlier expressed concerns about delays in the announcement of the poll date.
