Zimbabwe elections: Leading contenders confident of victory

The leading contenders in Zimbabwe’s general elections are exuding confidence in winning the polls, with only four days before Zimbabweans choose their leaders for the next five years.

Addressing guests at the groundbreaking ceremony for a chrome processing plant in Midlands Province on Wednesday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said he was confident of winning the elections, dismissing Nelson Chamisa’s challenge as a non-event.

In a statement to the nation on Thursday, Mnangagwa reiterated the five pledges he made in June: job creation; fighting corruption; establishing a modern and affordable healthcare system, infrastructure development; and creating educational and employment opportunities for youths.

The ruling party’s central theme for the election is “unite, fight corruption, develop, re-engage, create jobs”.

Chamisa also on Wednesday said his alliance would win the elections, despite allegations in the alliance that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is biased in favor of ZANU-PF.

There had been talk that the alliance may boycott the elections but Chamisa said they would win against all odds.

“We cannot boycott our victory. The talk of boycotting is a machination by ZANU-PF to try and get us in a state of despondency,” he said.