Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa attends a rally in Harare, Zimbabwe, on July 28, 2018. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa ended his election campaign Saturday and rallied Zimbabweans to vote for the ruling ZANU-PF party in Monday's polls for national growth and prosperity. (Xinhua/Shaun Jusa)
HARARE, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean political parties concluded their political campaigning on Saturday ahead of Monday's vote.
Both Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa and his main challenger Nelson Chamisa of the MDC Alliance held their final rallies in the capital Harare.
Zimbabwe's constitution stipulates that campaigning must end 24 hours before election day.
Both leaders urged their supporters to turn out in numbers on Monday to secure victory for their parties.
Mnangagwa and Chamisa also urged their supporters to maintain peace to ensure the polls are held in a peaceful environment.
Mnangagwa, who took over from former president Robert Mugabe who resigned in November last year, has in the past few months been traversing the country to drum up support for his governing ZANU-PF party.
Chamisa has also been travelling across the country over the past months soliciting votes for the party whose leadership he assumed in February following the death of founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
In total, Chamisa said he addressed 82 rallies across Zimbabwe with three quarters of them being held in rural areas, previously no-go areas for the party under Mugabe's rule.
Mnangagwa said apart from bringing economic prosperity, his party will also ensure the protection of Zimbabwe's heritage once re-elected.
"This coming Monday we will win the election. We are not voting for today or tomorrow but we are voting for generations to come. Together we will unlock the potential of our beloved country. Together we will build a new Zimbabwe for all," Mnangagwa told thousands of party supporters gathered at the National Sports Stadium in Harare.
Chamisa also expressed confidence of winning, saying his party will form the next government in Zimbabwe.
"We are going to the new Zimbabwe. We are the next government in this country. Out of the 5.6 million registered voters, we expect to get not less than 65 percent. We want a clean sweep to silence our opponents," he told thousands of party supporters gathered at an open space just outside Harare.
He said once elected, the party will institute measures to immediately respond to the needs of the people as well as building a non-racial Zimbabwe that respects workers rights and boasts of an efficient economy.
