Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa re-elected for second and final term in election

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa was re-elected for a second and final term in an election marred by widespread allegations that the governing party, ZANU-PF had committed fraud.  Mnangagwa’s victory over his closest competitor, Nelson Chamisa after his first full term in office, strengthened ZANU-PF ‘s grip on power. Zimbabwe has over the past two decades suffered under disastrous economic policies that have led to soaring prices, high unemployment, and a medical system lacking basic drugs and equipment.

With Mnangagwa, 80, winning another five years in office, Zimbabwe is likely to continue to struggle to break out of its isolation from Western nations, which have demanded greater democracy and respect for human rights in exchange for helping it grapple with USD 18 billion in debt.
The South African nation of 16 million, has a history of election irregularities, and such tactics helped Robert Mugabe, a liberation leader turned autocrat, maintain power for nearly four decades.