Chamisa selling hope while Mnangagwa offers reform and stability as Zimbabwe heads for election

Chamisa has promised major infrastructural development that will include the transformation of rural economies into industrial hubs, an effective rail system boosted by the introduction of bullet trains, and the construction of modern freeways in Zimbabwe’s cities and towns.

In terms of economic revival both candidates have vowed to pursue foreign direct investment. Both say they will pay off Zimbabwe’s debts to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

They have both promised to root out corruption and address the land issue. Mnangagwa has said that the era of land grabs, multiple farms, and idle ownership is over.

This has also been the same narrative from the MDC-Alliance. Both leaders have also said that they’ll work to salvage Zimbabwe’s international image.

There are clearly more similarities than differences between the two main contenders and their pledges to voters. But a few distinguishing factors remain evident.

Chamisa’s campaign is selling hope to the electorate. He has made good use of his great oratory skills to strike a hopeful chord with voters.

Mnangagwa, on the other hand, is focused on reform and stability. He has made frequent mention of the ‘successes’ of his “new dispensation”, namely combating corruption, securing investment commitments, and kickstarting economic recovery. This is a tactic that is designed to justify why the electorate should give him a second bite at the cherry.

It will be interesting to gauge whether rally attendance will translate into votes as Zimbabweans go to the polls. Both ZANU-PF and the MDC-Alliance recorded well-attended rallies, though the opposition has several times lampooned ZANU-PF for bussing school children in to shore up support at its rallies.

If rally attendance is anything to go by, it would seem that the race is too close to call. With that being said, rally attendance might not be the best yardstick to measure popular support.

Important to keep in mind, however, is that citizens attend rallies for varied reasons. Some go for entertainment purposes; some are forced, and some are in search of free T-shirts, party paraphernalia, food, and drink. Others attend just to see their political idols in the flesh.

No steps are taken at these rallies to determine if attendees are registered voters.

And then there is the issue of opinion polls. A recent opinion poll by Afrobarometer is predicting that Mnangagwa will garner 40% of the vote, with 37% for Chamisa. About 20% of respondents refused to disclose their preferences and 3% said they would vote for other parties.

Even with the knowledge that opinion polling is not an exact science it is likely to be a tight race between Mnangagwa, the establishment candidate, and Chamisa, his youthful contender.

By Gift Mwonzora for The Conversation

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