According to experts, Mnangagwa was the early favorite for the elections. International election observers criticized that the vote did not meet international requirements.
The sitting President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa continue as the country’s president.
Mnangagwa managed to get 52.6 percent of the votes in this week’s elections, while his main rival, the Citizens Coalition for Change Nelson Chamisa collected 44 percent of the votes. Chamisa also lost the last presidential election, the result of which the opposition criticized as tampered with.
The election was supposed to be held on Wednesday, but the voting period was extended to Thursday due to delays and problems with the printing of ballots. The result of the presidential election was supposed to be announced on Monday, but the results were finally announced on Saturday.
The representatives of the opposition party did not accept the election result.
– We reject the hastily compiled results without proper verification, said the party spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi.
– We advise citizens on further steps when the situation develops.
The elections were held in an “atmosphere of fear”
According to experts, Mnangagwa was the early favorite for the elections. International election observers criticized that the vote did not meet international requirements. In addition, the presidential race has been criticized as favoring Mnangagwa’s party.
The election campaign was spared from violence, but the police constantly banned opposition election events and imprisoned opposition supporters. On Saturday, the police guarded the national results center with water cannons, where the army killed six people during the unrest during the last election.
A representative of the European Union’s election observation mission described the elections as being held in an “atmosphere of fear”. The African Union also pointed out the intimidation directed at the opposition.
The incumbent president’s party, ZANU-PF, has been in charge of the country for more than four decades. Mnangagwa came to power in 2017 when Zimbabwe’s longtime dictator Robert Mugabe was overthrown.
Source: Reuters, AFP