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.
Zimbabwe's president says international election observers have told him they are "disappointed with the events" that left at least six people dead.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa told the state broadcaster the observers met with him and expressed their concerns about Wednesday's chaos in the capital when the military dispersed opposition supporters with gunfire.
The observers have released a joint statement condemning the "excessive use of force" by the military and urging that the results of Monday's presidential election be released as soon as possible.
The president stressed the observers' earlier assessment that the vote was peaceful. "I'm happy that they're very objective," Mr Mnangagwa said.
The results are starting to come in now, with three of the first four provinces backing incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa. Harare, the capital, came out strongly for Chamisa, the main opposition candidate
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