Zimbabwe election: Three dead in violent Harare protests as security forces battle demonstrators after Zanu-PF win in parliament vote
Millions peacefully cast their votes but soldiers now deployed in streets as presidential result delayed
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At least three people have been killed as police and soldiers in Harare clashed with opposition protesters amid a delay in announcing the winner of Zimbabwe’s presidential election. The scene in the capital has deteriorated into serious disorder, according to reports on the ground.
Gunfire was also heard after supporters of Movement for Democratic Change leader Nelson Chamisa took to the streets. Mr Chamisa has accused the ruling Zanu-PF party of electoral malfeasance and claimed he won the “popular vote” following Monday’s poll.
Zanu-PF won a two-thirds majority in the national assembly of parliament in the country’s first general election since Robert Mugabe was ousted from power in November 2017. The result means incumbent president Emmerson Mnangagwa’s party will be empowered to make changes to the constitution at will.
But the result of the presidential poll has not yet been announced. Zimbabwe’s electoral commission has repeatedly revised its stance on when the presidential winner will be announced, with European Union observers questioning the delay.
The EU team identified a string of problems in Monday’s poll. They said a level playing field was not achieved due to voter intimidation, media bias and misuse of state resources, though the largely peaceful process was a clear improvement over the Mugabe era.
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The two main contenders in the presidential race were Mr Mnangagwa, a former deputy president and intelligence chief, and Mr Chamisa, a lawyer and pastor who leads the Movement for Democratic Change.
More than 5.5 million people were registered to vote and turnout was around 70%.
Both candidates issued upbeat assessments of how they did on polling day, with Mr Mnangagwa tweeting: ”I am delighted by the high turnout and citizen engagement so far”.
The election featured a record number of more than 20 presidential candidates and nearly 130 political parties vying for parliamentary seats.
Western election observers were in Zimbabwe, reflecting a freer political environment since the November resignation of Mr Mugabe, who had ruled since independence from white minority rule in 1980.
But there were concerns about bias in state media coverage of the election, a lack of transparency in ballot printing and reports of intimidation by pro-government local leaders who are supposed to stay neutral.
MDC supporters gathered outside party headquarters for a second day, but the celebrations of Tuesday were muted by bitterness at what the group's leader has claimed is electoral malfeasance.
Nelson Chamisa has accused his opponents of stealing the election.
"I am pained when I think of my vote," the opposition voters sang after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said the ruling Zanu-PF party had won a parliamentary majority in Monday's election.
Presidential results have not yet been announced but state media suggested they were expected within minutes.
Additional reporting by AP
Dozens of angry Zimbabwe opposition supporters have gathered outside the gates of the electoral commission and have been met by a line of riot police.
The country is waiting for the release of the results of Monday's peaceful presidential election, the first without longtime leader Robert Mugabe on the ballot. He led the country for 37 years marked by repression of the opposition.
The electoral commission says the ruling Zanu-PF party has won a majority of seats in Parliament. The opposition has raised concerns about alleged vote-rigging, saying election results were not posted outside 21 per cent of the country's nearly 11,000 polling stations.
The secretary-general for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change says that "what is not free and fair cannot be acceptable" and threatens to go to court.
AP
Reports from Reuters say a crowd of about 100 protesters from MDC has gathered outside the Harare hotel where election results are announced.
Armed riot police with water cannon have blocked the entrance.
Opposition supporters were heard to shout "you can't rig our election" and "this is a military government", according to a witness.
The European Union's election observer mission has said the Zimbabwe poll on Monday was largely peaceful, but the use of state resources, and coercion and bias by traditional leaders, meant a level playing field was not truly achieved.
But it was a clear improvement from past elections under Robert Mugabe, the observers said.
The election had a number of problems including media bias, voter intimidation and a lack of trust in the Electoral Commission, they added.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission must be transparent, releasing full election results and a complete breakdown of votes, European Union observers have said.
The longer it takes to announce the winner of the presidential race, the more credibility it will lose, they added.
The EU observers' comments come about 40 minutes after the time at which state-run media had suggested the presidential result would be announced.
A bit more from the observers' preliminary statement.
The EU mission pointed out "misuse of state resources, instances of coercion and intimidation, partisan behavior by traditional leaders and overt bias in state media", but said Monday's election was largely peaceful in a break with the past.
The assessments of Western and other observers, many of whom returned to Zimbabwe after being barred for nearly two decades, are crucial in the possible lifting of international sanctions on the southern African nation.
Zanu-PF has won a two-thirds majority in parliament, according to official results.
It means its representatives will be empowered to change Zimbabwe's constitution.
This image comes via AP in Harare, where Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters have gathered outside a hotel where the electoral commission is expected to announce the result of Zimbabwe's presidential election.
It appears to depict items being set on fire.
MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has accused his opponents, Zanu-PF, of stealing the election.
European Union observers identified a number of problems with the poll but said it had been largely peaceful.
Opposition supporters have taken to the streets ahead of the anticipated announcement of Zimbabwe's presidential election (Associated Press)
Zimbabwe's electoral commission says it will say "sometime tomorrow" when it can start announcing the results of the presidential election.
The commission has five days from Monday's election to announce the results.
It says "most of the presidential results are here with us" but agents from all 23 candidates have to verify the results first.
The opposition has accused the commission of delaying the announcement, and the European Union observer mission has wondered openly why the presidential results were the first counted but the last to be shared publicly.
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