Zimbabwe election: Emmerson Mnangagwa declared winner as defeated opposition leader rejects result - as it happened

Delayed result follows deaths of six people in post-election clashes with army

Zimbabwe election: Shots fired at protesting crowds in Harare as violence escalates

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.

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.

Key Points

• Zanu-PF declare victory and urge supporters to 'celebrate with restraint'
• MDC headquarters sealed off by police
• Death toll from Wednesday's clashes rises to six
• Emmerson Mnangagwa declared winner by Zimbabwe's electoral commission

[2 August 2018 23:49 · Kristin Hugo]

Emmerson Mnangagwa received 2,460,463 (50.8%) votes to Nelson Chamisa’s 2,147,436 (44.3%) and has won the election

[2 August 2018 23:51 · Kristin Hugo]

[3 August 2018 00:16 · Tom Batchelor]

Zimbabwe's justice minister says "the majority of Zimbabweans are working with us, save for a few who want to incite violence." 

Ziyambi Ziyambi spoke shortly after the electoral commission announced that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had won Monday's election. 

The justice minister says Mnangagwa has done a "fantastic" job since becoming president after longtime leader Robert Mugabe stepped down in November under military pressure amid a ruling party feud. 

"He gave freedoms to everyone," Mr Ziyambi said. 

The minister also says an investigation will uncover "the culprits that caused the mayhem" in the capital on Wednesday and that they would be prosecuted. 

[3 August 2018 00:34 · Tom Batchelor]

Commission chair Priscilla Chigumba has urged the country to "move on" with the hopeful spirit of election day and beyond the "blemishes" of Wednesday's chaos, saying: "May God bless this nation and its people."

[3 August 2018 00:43 · Tom Batchelor]

Zimbabwe's opposition, led by Nelson Chamisa, has said it will challenge the election result in court.

[3 August 2018 00:52 · Tom Batchelor]

The streets of Zimbabwe's capital are quiet with a heavy presence of military and police after President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared the winner of Monday's election, Associated Press reports.

A few Mnangagwa supporters are noisily celebrating near the entrance to the conference center where results were announced. 

Charity Manyeruke, who teaches political science at the University of Zimbabwe, said she was delighted. "There is continuity, stability. Zimbabwe is poised for nation-building." 

[3 August 2018 01:07 · Tom Batchelor]

Some more from the opposition reaction here: 

Morgen Komichi, the chief agent for the opposition alliance, said the elections were "fraudulent" and "everything has been done illegally". He said he had refused an electoral commission request to sign papers certifying Mr Mnangagwa's win. 

"We're not part of it," he said, adding that the opposition would be challenging the election in the courts. 

[3 August 2018 01:29 · Tom Batchelor]

Our diplomatic editor, Kim Sengupta, has the latest from Harare following the election result. 

The historic elections in Zimbabwe officially finished in the early hours of Friday morning with Emmerson Mnangagwa, the ally turned enemy of Robert Mugabe, declared the winner by a narrow margin.

But the outcome leaves an already fractured country with bitter divisions and an uncertain future with the fallout from the bitterly disputed polls due to continue.

Read the full report here.

[3 August 2018 01:36 · Tom Batchelor]

That is it for our rolling coverage this evening. Check back tomorrow for news, comment and analysis on the volatile situation in Zimbabwe.