Zimbabwe to hold 1st post-Mugabe elections by July

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Zimbabwe's new President Emmerson Mnangagwa stated on Wednesday that the country will hold transparent elections by July and he would respect the result if the opposition wins.

The election will be the first big test of his legitimacy since he took power in November when the military ousted Robert Mugabe, who ruled for 37 years. It will also test the country's electoral system after complaints of rigging at previous votes.

Mnangagwa, 75, told the World Economic Forum in Davos the nation was "open for business."

Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. /VCG Photo

In the latter half of Mugabe's rule, Zimbabwe's economy collapsed, particularly after the controversial seizure of thousands of white-owned commercial farms.

The issuance of billions of dollars of domestic debt to pay for a bloated civil service also triggered a collapse in the value of the currency and fueled galloping inflation.

Mnangagwa said he would welcome former commercial farmers to return. "We don't want to think along racial lines, that is the philosophy of the past. Farmers are farmers," he said.

Commercial farmers Rob Smart and his son Darreyn, forced out of their land in June, are welcomed back at Lesbury Estates by village elders and children at a farm in Headlands communal lands east of Harare, Zimbabwe, December 21, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Some former cabinet ministers who served under Mugabe have been charged with corruption and Mnangagwa said Mugabe would not be immune from prosecution.

"We have not given anyone any immunity," he said, but added that Mugabe had been given a "very lucrative package" that included a salary, allowances and first-class travel.

"We will do everything to allow the family to live in peace and undisturbed," he said.

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Source(s): Reuters