Zimbabwe’s parliament has approved a staggering increase in the fees to be paid by future presidential candidates, from 1,000 to 20,000 US dollars, a decision deemed discriminatory by the opposition. Presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for August 23. Candidates in the parliamentary and senatorial elections will have to pay $1,000, compared with just $50 in 2018. Opposition parties claim that the sharp rise in the price of the ticket to run in these various elections favors the ruling ZANU-PF party, which they believe has more financial resources at its disposal. Incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80, is accused of muzzling all dissenting voices. He succeeded Robert Mugabe in 2017 and was elected president the following year (50.8%) following a violent election. He will face CCC leader Nelson Chamisa, a 45-year-old lawyer and pastor.
SOURCE:AFRICA NEWS