Zimbabwe’s opposition boycotts president’s 1st State of the Nation speech since disputed election

By FARAI MUTSAKA
Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s main opposition party has boycotted President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s first State of the Nation Address since disputed elections in August. The boycott highlights the political cracks in the country amid ongoing allegations of a post-election clampdown on government critics. Mnangagwa did not address the opposition boycott in Tuesday’s speech. He laid out a legislative agenda that includes finalizing a bill criticized as an attempt to restrict the work of outspoken Non-Governmental Organizations. He also talked up economic growth despite Western-imposed sanctions. The few remaining formal businesses in the country of 15 million have repeatedly complained about being suffocated by an ongoing currency crisis.