Mnangagwa confirms elections will not be held before 21 July

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has now confirmed that elections will be held as dictated by the constitution which says they must be held within 30 days of the end of the term of the current administration.

President Mnangagwa’s term expires on 21 August as he is completing former President Robert Mugabe’s term of office.

There is, however, still a discrepancy on the earliest date on which Zimbabwe can hold its elections with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission saying they should be held between 21 July and 21 August while Veritas Zimbabwe says they should be held between 23 July and 21 August.

While technically it is a month from 21 July to 21 August, there are 32 days (both dates included) while 30 days runs from 23 July to 21 August.

Mnangagwa, whose legitimacy is now being publicly challenged by his predecessor Robert Mugabe, is now keen to do everything by the book to gain the legitimacy which will enable him to implement his recovery programme.

Mnangagwa has brushed off Mugabe’s comments saying “that nation has moved on”,  but Mugabe has put a damper on Mnangagwa’s standing putting pressure on him to show that he is for genuine legitimacy which he can only get through free, fair and credible elections.

The world had already started warming up to Mnangagwa and the next few days will be a test of his statesmanship.

The country’s main opposition has complained that there is no way Zimbabwe can have free, fair and credible elections unless Mnangagwa implements reforms in the media as well as greater transparency on how the elections will be run.

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