Zimbabwe's incumbent President and candidate Emmerson Mnangagwa at a presidential campaign rally in Harare, on July 28, 2018. Marco Longari / AFP
Zimbabwe's incumbent President and candidate Emmerson Mnangagwa at a presidential campaign rally in Harare, on July 28, 2018. Marco Longari / AFP

Fairness is crucial in Zimbabwe's post-Mugabe election



At 94, Robert Mugabe divides his time between a mansion in Harare and high-tech hospitals in Singapore, but his legacy of economic decay hangs in the air of the country he had a stranglehold over for 37 years before being ousted in November last year.

Today, in what has been dubbed the post-Mugabe election, Zimbabwe holds its most significant vote since independence in 1980.

Whoever wins, following a strongly contested 23-candidate campaign, will face a catalogue of economic challenges and hardships left by a regime stymied by corruption and chronic mismanagement. Whether that is President Emmerson Mnangagwa or another contender, they will need a credible mandate following a free and fair democratic process. With $2 billion of outstanding debt, the former breadbasket of Africa is struggling to emerge from a dark period.

The manner in which today's voting proceeds will set the tone for its recovery.

Zimbabwe is desperately in need of political and economic reform. Unemployment is sky-high while health, transport and educational infrastructure is in urgent need of repair. Mr Mnangagwa has promised economic regeneration but it is unclear whether the man known as the crocodile, who spent four decades as Mr Mugabe's main acolyte, can really be a force for change.

There are also concerns that Zimbabwe's military, which deposed Mr Mugabe in a bloodless coup, will try to ensure Mr Mnangagwa's victory. Coverage for the president has dominated state media for weeks while his posters fill the streets of the capital, Harare.

Meanwhile his main opponent, young lawyer and pastor Nelson Chamisa, has run a frugal campaign. A deep split within Mr Chamisa's MDC party could hand Mr Mnangagwa an easy victory.

Nevertheless, huge excitement could feed into voter turnout.

If he wins, Mr Mnangagwa has promised to declare an end to the injurious economic policies and repression that characterised the Mugabe years. But he might struggle to fully detach himself after decades as Mr Mugabe's enforcer. The first step is to oversee a genuinely democratic process.

Match info

Premier League

Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)

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Ticket prices
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  • Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
  • Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
  • Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
  • Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
  • Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
The specs

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Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

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Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

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Transmission: Single-speed automatic

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MATCH INFO

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Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')

UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')

Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face

The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.

The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran. 

Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf. 

"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said. 

Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer. 

The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy. 

 

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Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe

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Al Mrzab Restaurant

For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.

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