Harare, Zimbabwe, April 18 (AFP\/APP): Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday vowed that general elections expected later this year will be free and fair but issued a warning to “rogue” civic society organisations during an independence day speech.<\/p>\n
The southern African country is due to hold presidential and legislative votes, expected to be in August, but no date has been announced yet.
\nThe 80-year-old leader, who is seeking re-election, urged Zimbabweans to “say no to violence, before, during and after” the upcoming crunch vote.<\/p>\n
“My government has put measures in place to ensure free, fair and credible elections”, he said in a speech delivered at an event to mark 43 years of independence from Britain.<\/p>\n
The celebrations were held in the small town Mount Darwin, around 155 kilometres (around 100 miles) northeast of the capital Harare.<\/p>\n
Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF party has been accused in the past of using violence and intimidation to instil fear in opponents during elections.<\/p>\n
Two days after the 2018 polls, soldiers killed five people when opposition protestors alleging fraud took to the streets of Harare, burning tyres and pulling down street signs.<\/p>\n
Mnangagwa also warned of “voices, foreign or local, inclusive of rogue NGOs” sowing “seeds of division and disharmony among us”.<\/p>\n
In early February the country’s parliament approved a bill banning civil society organisations from engaging in politics.<\/p>\n
Under the new legislature, the state can intervene in the governance and activities of charities and civil groups, including making changes to their internal management and funding.<\/p>\n
The law, which caused outcry from rights groups and the global community, states that violators would risk up to a year in jail.<\/p>\n
The president has been accused of cracking down on political opponents.
\nIn 2018 Mnangagwa won disputed elections that his main rival Nelson Chamisa insists were rigged.<\/p>\n
The two will face off for a second time in the upcoming polls.
\nNicknamed “the Crocodile” for his ruthless cunning, Mnangagwa replaced strongman ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017 after a military-led coup.<\/p>\n
He faces widespread discontent as he struggles to ease entrenched poverty, end chronic power cuts and crippling unemployment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Harare, Zimbabwe, April 18 (AFP\/APP): Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday vowed that general elections expected later this year will be free and fair but issued a warning to “rogue” civic society organisations during an independence day speech. The southern African country is due to […]<\/p>\n
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