Zimbabwe's first election since the ousting of Robert
Mugabe did not meet international standards, European Union observers said on
Wednesday in a report that raised a series of irregularities in the disputed
vote.
The July 30 presidential poll saw Mugabe's successor
Emmerson Mnangagwa win with 50.8% of the votes, just enough to avoid a second
round run-off.
Mnangagwa sought to present the election as marking a new
chapter for Zimbabwe after years of repression and economic decline, but a
deadly military crackdown on protesters and allegations of rigging marred the
vote.
"The elections fell short of international
standards," Mark Stevens, deputy head of the EU mission, told a press
conference in the capital Harare.
Stevens said the election campaign and voting day were
largely peaceful but multiple factors affected the fairness of the result.
"The misuse of state resources, instances of coercion
and intimidation, partisan behaviour by traditional leaders and overt bias in state
media, all in favour of the ruling party, meant that a truly level playing
field was not achieved," he said.
He noted irregularities such as some results not posted
outside polling stations after the ballot count - as demanded by law.
"Such incidents added to concerns about the lack of
transparency, traceability and verifiability of the vote," he said, adding
results were not "presented in a verifiable way."
The EU also criticised "excessive use of force by
security forces" when the military opened fire on opposition supporters in
violence that left six dead after the election and the arrest of opposition
members.
It called for Zimbabwe to make moves to ensure the
independence of the electoral body.
The opposition MDC party unsuccessfully challenged
Mnangagwa's victory in court.
Mnangagwa was appointed in November last year after Mugabe
was forced out by the military after 37 years in power. AFP
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