Zimbabwe’s Electoral Commission is releasing the results of Monday’s presidential election. The election has pitched 75-year-old Emmerson Mnangagwa against 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa.
In Harare Metropolitan, over 771 thousand people voted, with 5 807 rejections.
Incumbent President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, received over 204 thousand votes, while the opposition MDC-Alliance’s Nelson Chamisa received 548 thousand votes.
ZEC Chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba, stated that nine of the ten provinces are final. Due to the delay in the results of one province the announcement was adjourned, but is expected shortly.
The much-aniticipated Zimbabwe elections since the toppling of Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule last November has not been without drama.
Wednesday saw violence erupt in the capital Harare with MDC supporters demonstrating outside the Zimbabwe Elections Commission offices before the army’s intervention which has been widely criticised.
Three people were killed but on Thursday it was announced that the death toll following Wednesday’s violent protests in Zimbabwe had risen to six.
Zimbabwe’s first elections since the removal of long-standing president Robert Mugabe, turned violent when troops opened fire on protesters opposed to alleged voting fraud.
Zimbabwe’s Police Spokesperson, Charity Charamba, addressed the media in the capital, Harare.
“Our investigations established that the number of deaths, which is really regrettable and unfortunate, has risen to six as three of the victims succumbed to the injuries while seeking medical attention at hospitals.”
About 14 people were injured during the skirmishes. A total of 22 shops were damaged in Harare during the skirmishes whilst eight vehicles in the CBD were damaged.
Meanwhile, the South African government has denied claims by the leader of the Zimbabwean main opposition MDC-Alliance Nelson Chamisa that President Cyril Ramaphosa refused to meet him to discuss disputes ahead of the country’s general elections on Monday.
A few days before the staging of the polls, Chamisa said he had written to Ramaphosa requesting his intervention after rising complains about lack of transparency in the electoral process, and failure by the country’s electoral body to publish the voters roll.
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu says, “I am hearing this for the first time. I have never received any request from Honourable Chamisa to see either myself or the President. There is no merit to that accusation. We would welcome Chamisa any day even in this last moment and if it would dispel any notion that we have taken sides or we have snubbed him. It’s not true.”
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