Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has named High Court Judge Priscilla Chigumba as head of the election agency, according to an official letter, ahead of a vote this year whose credibility will be key in rebuilding the nation’s foreign relations, according to Reuters. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has not had a permanent chair since Rita Makarau resigned in December.
Makarau was seen as an ally of 93-year-old former president Robert Mugabe, whose increasingly repressive 37-year rule alienated African and Western nations alike. But she gave no reason for her resignation, a month after Mugabe stepped down when the army and his ZANU-PF party turned against him.
A copy of Chigumba’s appointment letter written by the chief secretary to Mnangagwa and his cabinet showed that Chigumba would start her new job immediately and was expected to be sworn-in on Thursday. Mnangagwa said last week that the southern African country would hold transparent elections by July and he would respect the result if the opposition wins.
Chigumba’s last high-profile case was in November when she freed activist pastor Evan Mawarire, who had faced trial on charges of attempting to subvert Mugabe’s government.
