Nelson Chamisa, the head of Zimbabwe’s opposition, contested the legitimacy of the election that had been held the day before and had resulted in Emmerson Mnangagwa’s re-election. He declared victory.
According to the results released late on Saturday by the electoral commision, Mr. Mnangagwa won a second term with 52.6% of the vote cast, defeating Mr. Chamisa with 44%. The opposition declared right once that these “distorted” findings had not been approved.
“We won this election. We are the leaders. We are even surprised that Mnangagwa was declared the winner (…) We have the real results,” declared Mr. Chamisa, a 45-year-old lawyer and pastor, at a press conference in Harare on Sunday.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Zimbabweans went to the polls to elect their president and members of parliament. The major conflict was Mr. Chamisa’s Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC), the strongest opposition group, and Zanu-PF, which has been in power since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980.
“We knew we were going to take part in an election marred by irregularities. We have an incorrect electoral roll, a flawed constituency division. The ballot was marred by anomalies. The electoral environment was biased”, listed the opponent.
Emmerson Mnangagwa, who spoke earlier in the day from the presidential palace in the capital, said that the electoral process had been flawed.
Emmerson Mnangagwa, who spoke earlier in the day from the presidential palace, challenged those contesting his re-election to go to court: “Those who feel that the race was not run properly should know where to go”.
- A Better Life
Failures during the election, including as the absence of ballot papers at polling places, were especially prevalent in Harare, a stronghold of the opposition. Voting had been set to end on Wednesday night, but it had to go until Thursday.
International observers highlighted “serious problems” and the violation of “numerous international standards” governing democratic elections, marring the “transparency” of the ballot.
According to observers from the European Union, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Commonwealth countries, some voters could not be found on the lists. Others were intimidated at polling stations. Voting nevertheless took place in a “calm and peaceful” context, they stressed.
Reaffirming Zimbabwe’s “independence and sovereignty”, Mr. Mnangagwa warned against criticism.
“As a sovereign state, we ask our guests to respect our national institutions”, he said, preferring to draw attention to the “enormous turnout in the exercise of this sacred right of voting”. Nearly 69% of registered voters turned out at the polls.
In a statement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “concerned by the arrests of observers and reports of voter intimidation”. He called on the parties to “reject all forms of violence” and to settle disputes peacefully and “transparently” so that the outcome of the vote is “a true reflection of the will of the people”.
In the streets of the capital, the day after the results were announced, some people were reading the newspapers, while others were expressing their disillusionment.
“The results are not good, there’s something wrong somewhere”, said Godwell Gonye, interviewed by AFP.
A little further on, another confessed he hadn’t even looked closely at the results. “We accept them as they are, it’s the decision of the majority and we respect it,” says this man fatalistically.
Tinashe Gunda insists, however, that “here we expect change, development, and economic stability.”
In the face of widespread corruption and shortages of fuel, bread, and medicines in a crippled economy that has been going on for around 20 years, the opposition was depending on this optimism for a better life to win the election.
However, the campaign had already been characterised by utter repression in this nation long held with an iron grip by liberation hero Robert Mugabe, who was overthrown in 2017 by a coup d’état.
In a nation that has a long history of tainted elections, the CCC condemned the cancellation of dozens of demonstrations and the imprisonment of opponents.
Mugabe’s successor, Mr. Mnangagwa, won a tight election in 2018 (50.8%). Six people were killed when the army opened fire on protesters two days after the election.
Mr. Chamisa, who was already his rival for the presidency, unsuccessfully appealed the verdict in court.
