MDC Alliance’s presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa has
rejected election results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec)
last night with his party chair Morgen Komichi claiming they were “unverified”
by the opposition party’s chief election agent and therefore “fake”.
Komichi took the Zec commissioners by surprise when he
jumped to the top table shortly before announcement of the last batch of the
returns, and told journalists that his party would not challenge the results.
“The results that have been announced so far, we reject
them because they have not been verified by our chief election agent (Jameson
Timba). I represent my candidate Nelson Chamisa. The results are fake, they
have just been printed and not verified,” said Komichi adding that a meeting
with Zec had been inconclusive.
Before Komichi could finish he and Chamisa’s spokesperson
Nkululeko Sibanda were ushered out by State security agents.
Despite the drama, Zec chairperson Justice Priscilla
Chigumba went ahead and declared Zanu PF presidential candidate Emmerson
Mnangagwa as winner with 50.8% of the votes, just enough to scrap through the
constitutional threshold of 50% plus one vote required to avoid a run off.
Chamisa, according to Zec got 2147 436 votes representing
44,3% of the votes cast.
Mnangagwa’s disputed victory gave the ruling party firm
control of government business after securing a two-thirds majority in
Parliament with 163 seats against MDC Alliance’s 64 seats.
The election was the first to be held in the former British
colony since Robert Mugabe, the 94-year-old autocrat who ruled for 37 years,
was ousted by the army nine months ago.
Yesterday’s results and management of the whole electoral
process would be used to determine Mnangagwa government’s legitimacy and
whether the country qualifies for reengagement with the international
community.
Zimbabwe hopes to reintegrate into the international
community after years of isolation during former leader Robert Mugabe’s reign.
Foreign powers will now have to decide whether the poll outcome gives Mnangagwa
and Zanu PF the legitimacy needed to rejoin institutions such as the
Commonwealth.
Without a massive and rapid infusion of foreign aid, the
country faces total economic breakdown.
The vote count took more than three days, leading to
growing tensions and calls from the international community for a swift
resolution as Chamisa’s supporters turned riotous accusing Zec of fraud. Six
people were shot dead on Wednesday when the army opened fire on opposition
protesters who had taken to the streets accusing Zec of tinkering with the
results.
Chamisa told reporters before the results were announced
that he was confident of victory and that his party, adding however that he
suspected Zec was plotting to “steal” his victory.
Prior to the polls, Chamisa had raised a red flag over a
number of irregularities including a flawed electoral roll, ballot paper
malpractice, voter intimidation, bias in the electoral commission and handouts
to voters from the ruling party.
But his complaints which were upheld in several foreign
observer groups’ reports, went unheeded by Zec.
The power scrap went right to the wire with Mnangagwa’s 40
year-old challenger winning in four provinces albeit with slight margins in two
but had crushing wins in the country’s two biggest cities, Harare and Bulawayo.
However Chamisa was undone by low margins in Mashonaland
Central, Mashonaland East and surprisingly his home province of Masvingo.
Mnangagwa whose Zanu PF party swept the board in
Mashonaland Central taking all parliamentary seats on offer crushed his
opponent with 366785 votes against the opposition leader’s measly 97097. In
Masvingo a province where Chamisa was expected to do well, the 40 year-old only
managed 171 196 with his opponent picking 319 073 votes.
Harare carried Chamisa on its shoulders with his biggest
vote haul garnering 548 889 leaving Mnangagwa smarting in his wake with less
than half his tally at 204 710.
Chamisa also won in Bulawayo where he got 144 107 against
Mnangagwa’s 60 168, Matabeleland North where he got 137 611 while his rival
received 111 452. It was a rather close fight in the Midlands, Mnangagwa’s home
province but the Zanu PF leader took the honour getting 350 754 against
Chamisa’s 255 059.
Mnangagwa also won in Matabeleland South getting 107 008
with Chamisa very close on 90 292. Zec left Zimbabweans biting their nails
after withholding results for Mashonaland West at a point indications were the
two frontrunners were neck and neck.
When the final results were announced Mnangagwa trounced
his rival by garnering 312 958 with Chamisa getting 217 732 bring the fight to
a dramatic end.
Priscilla Chigumba went ahead and declared Zanu PF
presidential candidate Emmerson Mnangagwa as winner with 50,8% of the votes,
just enough to scrap through the constitutional threshold of 50% plus one vote
required to avoid a run-off.
Chamisa, according to Zec got 2 147 436 votes representing
44,3% of the votes cast.
But the MDC Alliance presidential candidate dismissed the
results as “scandalous” and promised to expose Chigumba and Zanu PF by giving
the correct tallies captured and signed for by Zec polling officers and their
agents at constituency level today.
Mnangagwa’s disputed victory gave Zanu PF firm control of
government business after securing a two-thirds majority in Parliament with 163
seats against MDC Alliance’s 64 seats.
The election was the first to be held in the former British
colony since Robert Mugabe, the 94-year-old autocrat who ruled for 37 years,
was ousted by the army nine months ago. Yesterday’s results and management of
the whole electoral process would be used to determine Mnangagwa government’s
legitimacy and whether the country qualifies for re-engagement with the
international community.
Zimbabwe hopes to reintegrate into the international
community after years of isolation during former leader Robert Mugabe’s reign.
Foreign powers will now have to decide whether the poll outcome gave Mnangagwa
and Zanu PF the legitimacy needed to re-join institutions such as the
Commonwealth.
Without a massive and rapid infusion of foreign aid, the
country faces a total economic breakdown.
The vote count took more than three days, leading to
growing tensions and calls from the international community for a swift
resolution as Chamisa’s supporters turned riotous accusing Zec of fraud. Six
people were shot dead on Wednesday when the army opened fire on opposition
protesters who had taken to the streets accusing Zec of tinkering with the
results.
Chamisa told reporters before the results were announced
that he was confident of victory, adding however that he suspected Zec was
plotting to “steal” his victory.
Prior to the polls, Chamisa had raised a red flag over a
number of irregularities including a flawed electoral roll, ballot paper
malpractice, voter intimidation, bias in the electoral commission and handouts
to voters from the ruling party.
But his complaints which were upheld in several foreign
observer groups’ reports, went unheeded by Zec.
The power scrap went right to the wire with Mnangagwa’s
40-year-old challenger winning in four provinces albeit with slight margins in
two but had crushing wins in the country’s two biggest cities, Harare and
Bulawayo.
Chamisa was undone by low margins in Mashonaland Central,
Mashonaland East and surprisingly his home province of Masvingo.
Mnangagwa whose Zanu PF party swept the board in Mashonaland
Central taking all parliamentary seats on offer crushed his opponent with 366
785 votes against the opposition leader’s measly 97 097. In Masvingo, a
province where Chamisa was expected to do well, the 40-year-old only managed
171 196 with his opponent picking 319 073 votes.
Harare carried Chamisa on its shoulders with his biggest
vote haul garnering 548 889 leaving Mnangagwa smarting in his wake with less
than half his tally at 204 710.
Chamisa also won in Bulawayo where he got 144 107 against
Mnangagwa’s 60 168, Matabeleland North where he got 137 611 while his rival
received 111 452. It was a rather close fight in the Midlands, Mnangagwa’s home
province but the Zanu PF leader took the honour getting 350 754 against
Chamisa’s 255 059.
Mnangagwa also won in Matabeleland South getting 107 008
with Chamisa very close on 90 292. Zec left Zimbabweans biting their nails
after withholding results for Mashonaland West at a point indications were that
the two frontrunners were neck and neck.
When the disputed final results were announced Mnangagwa
trounced his rival by garnering 312 958 with Chamisa getting 217 732 bring the
fight to a dramatic end.
Mnangagwa immediately capped the drama by taking to social
media to salute his supporters.
“Thank you Zimbabwe! I am humbled to be elected President
of the Second Republic of Zimbabwe. Though we may have been divided at the
polls, we are united in our dreams.This is a new beginning. Let us join hands,
in peace, unity and love, and together build a new Zimbabwe for all!,” he said
in a message on his Facebook wall. Newsday
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