Zimbabwe will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on July 30, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Wednesday, a vote he promises will be free and fair with international monitoring after the ouster of 94-year-old strongman Robert Mugabe. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said it had picked companies in southern Africa to print ballot papers and supply voting ink. The MDC wanted printing of ballots to be put to an open tender, but this was rejected by the government. A presidential run-off vote is set for Sept. 8 if no candidate gets at least the 50 percent-plus-one vote required to win. Mnangagwa urged ZANU-PF primary election candidates at a meeting on Wednesday to unite to ensure victory.

Source: dna May 30, 2018 18:33 UTC