elephant in the room

Zimbabwe: Free, fair election is only way out of alarming debt

By Veneranda Langa

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Posted on August 18, 2023 10:15

Supporters of Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa cheer at a rally in Harare ahead of the 2023 general elections. (REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo)

With the cash-strapped country’s public debt at almost 100% of GDP, one of Zimbabwe’s key challenges remains an obstacle as presidential poll looms.

The government of Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is running for a second term on 23 August, is making ever more desperate attempts to convince voters that it can deal with the country’s ballooning debt through an ambitious repayment programme.

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