Zimbabwe election: Shots fired at protesting crowds in Harare as violence escalates
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Zimbabwe’s opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, has declared "a day of mourning for democracy" after he rejected the results of an election which saw the country's president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, win a narrow victory.
Mr Chamisa who received more than 44 per cent of the vote, said “unverified fake results” had been announced by the electoral commission, and called on the commission to “release proper & verified results endorsed by parties.”
“The level of opaqueness, truth deficiency, moral decay & values deficit is baffling.”
Six people have been killed amid an army crackdown on opposition supporters in the streets of the capital, Harare, where tanks rolled in to disperse rock-throwing demonstrators who were protesting alleged vote-rigging.
Mr Mnangagwa said he was “humbled” by the victory and urged Zimbabweans to stay peaceful. He received 2.46 million votes against 2.15 million for Mr Chamisa, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission announced early on Friday.
“This is a new beginning. Let us join hands, in peace, unity and love, and together build a new Zimbabwe for all,” Mr Mnangagwa said.
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The week’s events left many Zimbabweans with a sense of unease and questions about how different Mr Mnangagwa is from his predecessor and former mentor, longtime dictator Robert Mugabe, who stepped down in November under military pressure amid a ruling party feud after 37 years in power.
The 75-year-old Mnangagwa has tried to recast himself as a voice of change, declaring the once-prosperous Zimbabwe is “open for business” and inviting the Western election observers who for years had been banned by Mr Mugabe.
If this election is judged credible, it will be a big step towards the lifting of international sanctions on this southern African nation whose economy has long collapsed and whose reputation has suffered after years of repression of the opposition and allegedly rigged votes.
So far international observers have issued mixed reviews, calling Monday’s election peaceful and a break from the past but expressing grave concern about the military’s “excessive” use of force.
They criticised the delay in releasing the results of the presidential vote, saying it raised concerns about possible manipulation.
Harare’s roads were quiet and appeared to be free from troops on Friday.
Water cannons and anti-riot police remained present at the headquarters of the main opposition party, a day after authorities raided it and made 18 arrests.
Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, said the country's electoral commission should release "proper and verified" results of the first national election since Robert Mugabe left office.
The commission earlier declared the president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, the winner of the ballot.
In comments referring to the commission, Mr Chamisa said on Twitter that "the level of opaqueness, truth deficiency, moral decay & values deficit is baffling."
China's government has said it wants to work with the international community to safeguard Zimbabwe's "peace, stability and development" after the country's president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was declared the winner of this week's election.
"As a friendly country to Zimbabwe, we call on the relevant sides to keep in mind the relevant country and people's interest and respect the choice made by the Zimbabwean people," Geng Shuang, spokesman for China's foreign ministry, said in Beijing.
China is a major investor in Zimbabwe, which faced its first election without former leader Robert Mugabe on the ballot.
The opposition alleges the vote was rigged and says it will take its complaints to the courts.
An independent election observers group is urging the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to urgently release results from individual polling stations to allay concerns about possible irregularities in Monday's vote.
The local Zimbabwe Election Support Network said the commission should post the information on its website "to enhance transparency and accountability."
The streets of Zimbabwe's capital were unusually quiet hours after the president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was declared the winner of the national election.
The election began with a peaceful vote on Monday but turned deadly when the military rolled into the streets 48 hours later.
Harare's deserted roads appear to be free from the troops that circulated on Thursday.
Water cannons and police remain present, however, at the headquarters of the main opposition party, a day after authorities raided it.
The opposition said it will challenge in court the results of the election, which Mr Mnangagwa won with just over 50 percent of the vote.
Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa on Twitter said "unverified fake results" were announced.
"The immediate priorities for Mnangagwa and his government will be to continue on the path of restoring the economy and boosting exports, helped by international engagement," Christopher Dielmann, an economist at Exotix Capital, told Reuters.
"By many accounts, this imperfect election delivered sufficient transparency, especially in relation to past results in the country, that should allow reengagement to occur relatively smoothly."
South Africa's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, current chair of the Southern African Development Community, has urged all Zimbabweans to accept the poll results.
The Herald newspaper, which acts as a mouthpiece for the government, hailed the election as reflecting the will of the majority and admonished the opposition.
"Unfortunately in Zimbabwe we have allowed to grow and flourish a culture of rabble-rousing and sham protests of alleged rigging whenever a party loses that this has become a default mode in the opposition," a Herald editorial said.
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