A new poll by the Brenthurst Foundation shows that the governing party in Zimbabwe, ZANU-PF, could lose the next election in that country.
Elections are scheduled to be held this year in Zimbabwe.
The poll, which had 1 000 respondents, found that 53% of respondents would vote for Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC). This is a party that was formed following infighting in the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
Four- in-ten of those polled would vote for the current president and leader of ZANU-PF, Emmerson Mnangagwa, while 7% would vote for someone else.
With regard to support for political parties, the poll found something similar, with 52% saying they supported the CCC, and 40% in favour of ZANU-PF. Eight percent said they supported another party.
The poll also found that more than half of Zimbabweans believed the country was moving in the wrong direction, with 54% saying that was the case.
Furthermore, the poll also asked respondents what was the most pressing issue. Some 35% said corruption, and 27% said jobs. Only one percent said land, an issue which has dominated Zimbabwean political discourse for decades.
While this poll indicates that ZANU-PF could suffer its first loss at the ballot box since independence in 1980, in the past ZANU-PF has relied on a number of tactics, including violence and vote-rigging, to remain in power. It is likely to once again do so and hold on to power.