Mnangagwa files papers to contest in upcoming Zimbabwe poll

President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zinbabwe on Thursday filed his nomination papers to contest as the ruling party’s presidential candidate in elections set for July 30.

His papers were filed by his election agent and justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi who immediately declared that the ruling party ZANU-PF was ready for the polls.

Mnangagwa becomes the party’s first presidential candidate after former president Robert Mugabe resigned in November last year amid a military intervention, which ended his 37 years’ stay in power.

“We send our papers Wednesday as the law allows us to submit our papers a day before for scrutiny and when we came in today (Thursday) our papers were in order and it was announced that we had filed our papers successfully,” Ziyambi told reporters.

Mnangagwa’s main challenger, 40-year-old leader of the opposition MDC Alliance, Nelson Chamisa, also filed his papers with the Nomination Court.

His papers were filed by his election agent Jameson Timba.

Three other presidential candidates including former Zimbabwean vice president and leader of the opposition National People’s

Party Joice Mujuru also filed their nomination papers.

The nomination courts are sitting countrywide Thursday to receive papers of candidates that will contest in the presidential, National Assembly and council elections.