Zimbabwe will hold its presidential and parliamentary elections on August 23rd, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Wednesday, as the southern African country continues to battle a raging economic crisis .
Zimbabwe to hold general election on August 23rd
Zimbabweans wait in a queue to cast their vote during a referendum in Harare, Zimbabwe, Saturday, March, 16, 2013
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Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP
Mnangagwa , elected president in 2018 , will be seeking a second term in office. His election followed a military coup that deposed Robert Mugabe in 2017.
The 80-year-old's main rival is lawyer and pastor is 45-year old Nelson Chamisa who leads the newly formed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
The opposition accuses the party in power, Zanu-PF , of repression against political opponents.
On Tuesday, Chamisa accused President Mnangagwa of being vague about the dates of the election.
The Zanu-PF party has been in power in Zimbabwe since the country's independence in 1980 .