Zimbabwe’s presidential campaign has done little to allay popular apprehensions about the security of the vote, the counting of ballots, the announcement of election results, and the possibility of post-election violence, according to a new publicopinion survey.
Findings of the nationally representative survey, which the Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI) conducted in all 10 provinces of Zimbabwe between 25 June and 6 July 2018, show that while a majority of citizens were optimistic that the election will be free and fair, substantial minorities remained worried about manipulation in the final stages of the electoral process.
These findings largely confirm results of a pre-election baseline survey in April/May but show that as the election approached, citizen apprehensions about military intervention and the potentially violent aftermath of a disputed election were on the rise. Other findings from the new survey, including a significant drop in President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s lead over challenger Nelson Chamisa, are detailed in Afrobarometer Dispatch No. 223.