President Mnangagwa is the most trusted politician in the country with a majority of Zimbabweans trusting his party, Zanu-PF, a reputable survey has revealed.
According to the Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI), whose results were released this week, 68 percent of Zimbabweans trust religious leaders while 56 percent trust traditional leaders.
Fifty-five percent of citizens trust courts of law with 54 percent having faith in the police and army. Fifty-one percent of citizens trust the ruling party, Zanu PF, and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
In terms of political figures, 50 percent trust President Mnangagwa while 41 percent have confidence in opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader, Mr Nelson Chamisa.
Twenty-six percent trust opposition political parties, 9 percent trust Zapu, and 8 percent have faith in MDC-T.
President Mnangagwa remains popular among a majority of Zimbabweans with 63 percent of people in rural areas trusting him more than Mr Chamisa who has 41 percent. Zanu PF has 65 percent people trusting it compared to CCC’s 30 percent.
The survey stated the opposition parties lag far behind the ruling party, and predicted a win for Zanu PF.
The survey showed that if presidential elections would be held today, Zanu PF would attract 35 percent of the total vote while the opposition CCC would probably garner a 27 percent vote.
According to the survey, 63 percent of Zimbabweans say they are interested in the elections and will most likely vote in the August 23 polls.
Zanu PF, the report said, would likely remain the dominant political force for the foreseeable future.
The survey from MPOI comes at a time when the Pan African Forum Limited, a forum that constitutes an informal network of African scholars and university student leaders both current and past, noted that President Mnangagwa will emerge the victor as he commands a 75 percent popularity.
Pan African Forum Limited was formed as a lobby group to support the African Union’s objectives on international aspects and other initiatives, at national, sub-regional, regional, and international levels.
In the study that was distributed proportionately to the voters register 3 110, respondents took part. There was a +/-2 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level. President Mnangagwa’s closest challenger, Mr Chamisa, who leads the CCC lags far behind with a measly 19 percent, while other parties share the remainder.
The study also shows that 98 percent of the registered voters “are very certain that they will vote in the next General Election.”
According to the survey, 80 percent of Zimbabweans expressed satisfaction with the biometric voter registration (BVR) processes.
“Majorities think electoral institutions are somewhat or very well prepared for elections. Government radio is the leading source of election-related information,” read part of the survey.
“Large majorities want a violence free campaign and the presence of international observers.”
In terms of the preparedness of electoral institutions, MPOI indicated that Zanu PF is leading with 74 percent followed by police with 63 percent while ZEC is at 60 percent. According to the findings, 50 percent of respondents said CCC is “somewhat” or “very” well prepared for the plebiscite.
— Chronicle
