Zimbabwe to Vote for President, Parliament for First Time in 37 Years - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced that July 30 will be the date of the country's presidential and parliamentary elections, local media reported on Wednesday.

According to the Pindula news portal, citing a note in the governmental newspaper, on July 30 the country will elect a new president, as well as councilors and members of the National Assembly, the nation's bicameral legislature.

The run-off, if needed, will be held on September 8, according to the media outlet.

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Mnangagwa said in March that the presidential and parliamentary elections might take place in mid-summer.

According to the survey conducted by the Pan African Forum Ltd, Mnangagwa could be supported by 70 percent of voters, while Nelson Chamisa, a candidate from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), would be backed by only 24 percent.

The poll added that 98 percent of the registered Zimbabwean voters had expressed readiness to participate in the election. The survey was conducted among 3,110 people on May 10-19.

The upcoming election will take place for the first time since the end of the 37-year rule of former leader Robert Mugabe. In November, Mugabe, 93, who served both as president and prime minister, stepped down. Mnangagwa, who previously served as vice president, was sworn in as Mugabe's successor. One of Mnangagwa's key promises was to revive the country's ruined economy, as well as hold a free and fair election.