Yesterday, candidates vying for the highest office in the land submitted their papers for consideration by the Nomination Court ahead of elections set for August 23.
If there is no clear winner in the presidential race, a run-off election will be held on October 2, six weeks later.
Zimbabweans will also vote to elect members of parliament and councilors.
The successful candidates’ names, according to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), will be made public on June 30.
As a result, campaigns for both candidates and political parties are getting more intense.
There is a chance that the crackdown on opponents will be stepped up and dirty tricks will be employed in the lead-up to the vote in August.
Electoral violence and intimidation, which have occurred in previous elections, are widely feared in Zimbabwe. General observers’ concerns that it will happen again are growing.
As campaigns for candidates heat up, let’s avoid electoral conflict.
Political leaders, parliamentary candidates, supporters, political parties, and everyone else should actively promote a narrative of peace.
Let’s demonstrate that peace messaging can be achieved. Let’s say no to election-related violence.
In fact, we should all work to create a peaceocracy where stability and order are given priority over politically motivated violence and intimidation.
Democracy will suffer if there is no respect for peace.
The election should also be free and fair in a nation that is working hard to repair its reputation after President Mnangwagwa took office in 2017.
Ambassador Rodney Kiwa, the vice chairman of the ZEC, recently stated that the electoral body was making every effort to ensure that the holding of the elections would be above board and that all required procedures would be followed.
“We are fully prepared. Everything is in place. The responsibility for peaceful elections lies with every Zimbabwean, every political party, its leadership, and followers, alike and every candidate, among many,” he said.
