Zimbabwe election: Shots fired at protesting crowds in Harare as violence escalates
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Emmerson Mnangagwa, a former spy chief installed after Robert Mugabe's removal in a coup in November, won Zimbabwe's presidential election after a poll marred by the deaths of six people in an army crackdown on opposition protests.
After two days of claims and counterclaims, the 75-year-old incumbent secured a comfortable victory, polling 2.46 million votes against 2.15 million for 40-year-old opposition leader Nelson Chamisa.
Earlier in the week, soldiers beat and shot at opposition protesters after Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Mr Chamisa claimed he had won the “popular vote” and accused Zanu-PF, the ruling party, of fraud.
Police raided MDC offices and detained 18 people while a search warrant suggested Mr Chamisa and others were suspected of the crimes of ”possession of dangerous weapons” and “public violence”; Mr Mnangagwa has publicly accused his opponent of inciting violence.
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Mr Mnangagwa’s spokesman declared on state television that no order was issued by the army to clear central Harare, terming such reports “fake news”.
George Charamba said Thursday was “a normal working day”, though nearly all shops in the downtown area were shuttered and the streets quieter than usual.
Commonwealth observers condemned the approach taken by the army in Harare yesterday, with former Ghanaian president John Mahama saying the bloc “categorically [denounced] the excessive use of force against unarmed civilians”.
The electoral commission announced yesterday that the ruling Zanu-PF party, led by Mr Mnangagwa, had won a two-thirds majority in the national assembly of parliament.
In pictures: Zimbabwe votes in historic election
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European Union observers said they had identified a string of problems with Monday’s election, though it had been an improvement over polls conducted under former leader Robert Mugabe.
Voter intimidation, misuse of state resources and bias in state media meant a “level playing field” was not achieved, they said.
International observers have urged the ZEC to release results as soon as possible to avoid further violence after three people were killed on Wednesday.
A lawyer has said police in Zimbabwe are investigating the opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, and others for allegedly inciting violence.
Kumbirai Mafunda confirmed a search warrant was issued on Wednesday, when soldiers in Harare fired live rounds to disperse opposition protesters, some of whom were rioting.
A copy of the warrant, seen by The Associated Press, said Mr Chamisa and several others, including opposition politician Tendai Biti, are suspected of the crimes of "possession of dangerous weapons" and "public violence."
The warrant authorises police to search for and confiscate any evidence as part of their investigation.
Zimbabwe's president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and the ruling ZANU-PF party have accused the opposition of inciting the deadly violence as the country awaits the results of Monday's presidential election.
The opposition, human rights activists and some election observers have condemned the "excessive" force in crushing the protests.
Police stormed the headquarters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in the capital Harare and detained 16 people after sealing off the building earlier, a Reuters witness said.
"Police came with a warrant of search and seizure they claimed there were certain computers and other subversive materials," an MDC lawyer, Denford Halimani, said.
"They wanted to seize those things and also get people that were inside. Perhaps it was a scare tactic. There was nothing the police retrieved. They took away 16 people we are going to confirm if these people have been arrested."
Zimbabwe opposition leader Nelson Chamisa questioned the independence of the judiciary on Thursday and said he was reluctant to go to court to challenge the results of this week's presidential election, which he claims to have won.
"When you go into the court you are going into the lion's den. We are not about to be a meal for lions. So we are very circumspect," he told reporters.
Mr Chamisa has also spoken about the police raids on MDC headquarters. He claimed officers were looking for evidence of vote-rigging, which he said had already been moved to a "safe house".
As voters and others await the results of the election, observers say they will stay in the country until the process has come to an end.
The EU group issued this statement earlier today:
"The election observation mission will stay on the ground until the electoral process is completed before issuing its final report, including recommendations for the strengthening of Zimbabwe's electoral framework.
"The European Union expects all stakeholders to allow the electoral process to run its course and be completed in full transparency and respect of the existing electoral framework. Any complaints must be addressed swiftly and effectively through the legal means already foreseen.
"The European Union is ready to assist a democratically elected government in implementing political and economic reforms to ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for all Zimbabweans, and to respond effectively to evolving regional and global challenges."
Our diplomatic editor, Kim Sengupta, has more from Harare, where he says the opposition candidate in Zimbabwe’s presidential poll, Nelson Chamisa, has declared that he will not accept the country’s election commission awarding a “fraudulent” victory to his rival Emmerson Mnangagwa, and “neither will the people”.
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