Arduous road ahead for Zimbabwe after the polls

The Zanu-PF party will have to undo Robert Mugabe’s legacy of corruption

The Zimbabwean election commission’s announcement that the ruling Zanu-PF party had won a majority of seats in Parliament in the country’s first general election after the ouster of strongman Robert Mugabe immediately sparked protests by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The opposition has spoken of vote-rigging, saying results were not posted outside a fifth of the country’s nearly 11,000 polling stations. The outcome will have far-reaching implications for the African nation whose economy and infrastructure have suffered during the nearly four-decade reign of Mr Mugabe.

Both the main candidates in the fray, President Emmerson Mnangagwa and main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, had earlier claimed they are set to win. Mr Mnangagwa, a 75-year-old former spy chief , is a long-time Mugabe aide who took power after the authoritarian ruler was removed in a de facto coup last year. Mr Chamisa of the MDC is a 40-year-old lawyer with little experience in governance. Mr Mnangagwa was largely backed by traditional supporters of the Zanu-PF, including rural voters who still believe the party has done a lot of good for the country of 16 million people despite the excesses of Mr Mugabe’s reign.

Despite the opposition’s allegations that the voting was flawed, the election commission has said there was no rigging or cheating in the elections that saw an average turnout of 75%. Provided he also emerges the winner of the presidential race, Mr Mnangagwa will have to take on the onerous task of placing Zimbabwe on an even keel after the corruption and diplomatic isolation that marked the 37 years of the Mugabe regime, while also engaging the opposition to ensure that there is no confrontation that blocks developmental works. The country will also have to overcome sanctions to fight its economic woes. For now at least, Zimbabwe appears set to traverse a difficult path if it is to regain its reputation as one of Africa’s most promising economies.