Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader has alleged “blatant and gigantic fraud” in the country’s election after President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared the winner and international observers reported an environment of intimidation against voters.
Late on Saturday, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) announced Mnangagwa, 80, won a second term with 52.6 percent of the ballots against 44 percent for his main challenger, Nelson Chamisa, 45, of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party.
The announcement, which came after voting had to be extended because of delays in the printing of ballot papers, was made two days earlier than expected.
Chamisa said the opposition had not ratified the results, which he said had been “hastily assembled without proper verification”.
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“They stole your voice and vote but never your hope,” Chamisa wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, in his first public reaction to the election declaration. “It’s a blatant and gigantic fraud.”
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Mnangagwa, speaking from the presidential palace, dismissed the allegations and challenged his accusers to take action.
“I did not conduct these elections. I think those who feel the race was not run properly know where to go to complain,” he said at a news conference on Sunday, expressing happiness at his victory. He insisted the elections were run “transparently, fairly in broad daylight”.
Zimbabweans went to the polls on Wednesday and Thursday to choose a president and new parliament, in an election seen as a test of support for Mnangagwa’s Zanu-PF party which has been in power for 43 years now.
United Nations Secretary- General Antonio Guterres voiced concern on Sunday about “the arrest of observers, reports of voter intimidation, threats of violence, harassment and coercion” in the country of 15 million people.
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Guterres issued a statement urging all sides to “peacefully settle any disputes through established legal and institutional channels” and resolve disputes “in a fair, expeditious, and transparent manner to ensure that the results are a true reflection of the will of the people”.—Al Jazeera
