Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe’s president and leader of the ruling Zanu-PF party, has won the country’s historic and hotly contested presidential election.

From exile to election: Emmerson Mnangagwa's timeline to victory Read more

Officials from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) announced early on Friday that Mnangagwa had received 2.46m votes, or 50.8% of the 4.8m votes cast. Nelson Chamisa, the candidate of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change party (MDC), won 2.14m votes or 44.3%, the ZEC said. Mnangagwa needed to win by more than 50% to avoid a runoff vote.

Mnangagwa, 75, was a close aide of Robert Mugabe, the 94-year-old autocrat who ruled for 37 years and was ousted by the army nine months ago, and was implicated in atrocities committed under his rule. Chamisa, 40, is a former lawyer and pastor.

Priscilla Chigumba, the chair of the ZEC, urged the country to “move on” with the hopeful spirit of election day and beyond the “blemishes” of Wednesday’s “chaos”, when the army opened fire on protesters in Harare, killing six people. “May God bless this nation and its people,” she said.

Mnangagwa tweeted that he was “humbled” by the result. “This is a new beginning. Let us join hands, in peace, unity & love, & together build a new Zimbabwe for all!” he said.

President of Zimbabwe (@edmnangagwa) 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 & love, & together build a new Zimbabwe for all! pic.twitter.com/FbdrixAktR

On Friday morning Chamisa called the results “fake” and said the electoral commission should release “proper and verified” numbers. “The level of opaqueness, truth deficiency, moral decay & values deficit is baffling,” he said on Twitter.

The MDC had rejected the results even before they had been announced in full. Minutes before the final result, the MDC’s chairman, Morgan Komichi, made an impromptu televised statement at the commission, saying the election was “fraudulent” and that the party would challenge the results in court. He was then removed from the stage by police.

A few Mnangagwa supporters celebrated near the entrance to the conference centre where the results were declared but there was little in the way of public celebrations in Harare other than some car horns.

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

The Zimbabwean capital was calm on Friday morning, the pavements filled with people going to work. Many also gathered around newspaper stands. The army, a visible presence this week, had withdrawn by 7am. A police presence remained, with two vehicles equipped with water cannon outside the MDC headquarters and an armoured vehicle full of riot police.

Most MDC supporters appeared resigned to the result and unwilling to take to the streets to protest. “We are just accepting whatever is there for the sake of peace, for the sake of business and calm. Life goes on. I wouldn’t support a protest. Check what happened this week when people tried it,” said Shepherd Warikandwe, a 38-year-old chef.

Hazel Moyo, a 25-year-old supermarket cashier who had voted for the first time, said that protesting would make no difference. “We will just have to put up with it. We need change but will have to wait some more,” she said.

The count took more than three days, leading to growing tensions and calls from the international community for a swift resolution.

Play Video 0:49 Tensions rise after Zimbabwe election as police and protesters clash – video

Although the campaign has been free of the systematic violence that marred previous polls, the MDC repeatedly claimed it was hindered by a flawed electoral roll, ballot paper malpractice, voter intimidation, bias in the electoral commission and handouts to voters from the ruling party. Several of its complaints have been upheld by monitors’ reports.

Eighteen opposition officials were detained by police during a raid on the MDC’s headquarters in Harare on Thursday afternoon.

Prof Stephen Chan, an expert in African politics at the University of London, said the election could be judged “plausible to credible” but could not be called “free and fair”.

Chan, who is in Zimbabwe, said he believed the problems with the count were down to incompetence rather than conspiracy but that the alleged irregularities before the poll could have been significant, especially in avoiding a runoff.

'We thought this had gone away': Zimbabwe violence dashes dreams Read more

“The narrowness of the result suggests that Mnangagwa is the last of the Zanu-PF giants and that at the next election the opposition will have everything to play for,” he said.

Mnangagwa’s share of the vote was lower than some expected. Zanu-PF had swept to a two-thirds majority in simultaneous parliamentary elections and was broadly considered the favourite by analysts. But the opposition campaign gathered significant momentum in the last days of campaigning.

The announcement of the result was delayed while figures for Mashonaland West, a major province and Zanu-PF stronghold, were finalised, and was disrupted by an MDC spokesman who said the party rejected the results because they had not been verified by polling agents.

All polling station data would be made available to the media and party officials, the ZEC said.

Zimbabwe now faces new uncertainty and a potential period of instability. The country si hoping to reintegrate into the international community after years of isolation. Foreign powers will have to decide whether the elections give Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF the legitimacy needed to seek to rejoin institutions such as the Commonwealth.

Without a massive and rapid infusion of foreign aid, the country is also facing total economic breakdown.



Polls had earlier given Mnangagwa, a dour former spy chief known as “the Crocodile” for his reputation for ruthless cunning, a slim lead over Chamisa, a brilliant if sometimes wayward orator.

Support for Zanu-PF has historically been strongest in rural areas, where more than two-thirds of voters live. The party dominated its traditional heartland provinces of Mashonaland Central and East, while the MDC won the major cities of Harare and Bulawayo convincingly. </s> Harare — Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC party on Tuesday claimed victory in the country’s historic elections, setting the scene for a showdown with the ruling Zanu-PF that has held power since independence in 1980.

Senior MDC official Tendai Biti said party leader Nelson Chamisa had won the presidential race, and alleged that the authorities were delaying the publication of results.

"The results show beyond reasonable doubt that we have won the election and that the next president of Zimbabwe is Nelson Chamisa," Biti told a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Harare.

"We are however seriously concerned about evidence of interference … there is a deliberate delay in announcing the results. This delay is totally unacceptable."

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 75, has also said he was confident of victory in Zimbabwe’s first election since former leader Robert Mugabe was ousted in November after 37 years in power.

"The information from our reps on the ground is extremely positive! Waiting patiently for official results as per the constitution," Mnangagwa said on Twitter early Tuesday.

The rival claims pointed to a contested result, raising the prospect of competing fraud allegations and a possible run-off vote in September — required if no candidate wins at least 50% of ballots in the first round.

Analysts have said it was unclear whether the country’s generals, who ousted Mugabe and ushered Mnangagwa into office, would accept a win by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Defeat for the ruling party would likely lead "to a denunciation of the election by the Mnangagwa administration and the potential for the military to intervene to secure power for Zanu-PF," the London-based BMI risk consultancy said. </s> HARARE, Aug 26 — Emmerson Mnangagwa was officially sworn in as president of Zimbabwe today after winning a bitterly contested election that marked the country’s first vote since Robert Mugabe was ousted from power.

Mnangagwa, whose victory in the July 30 polls was challenged by the main opposition, pledged to “protect and promote the rights of Zimbabweans” in an inauguration ceremony attended by a crowd of thousands at a stadium in Harare.

“I Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa swear that as president of the republic of Zimbabwe I will be faithful to Zimbabwe (and) will obey uphold and defend the constitution of Zimbabwe,” Mnangagwa said.

Once Mugabe’s right-hand man, Mnangagwa of the ruling ZANU-PF party won the election with 50.8 per cent of the vote — just enough to meet the 50 per cent threshold needed to avoid a run-off against the main opposition led by Nelson Chamisa, who scored 44.3 per cent.

International observers said the polls were largely free of the violence which characterised previous votes in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe’s top court on Friday dismissed Chamisa’s bid to have the results annulled because of allegated of vote rigging. — AFP </s> Harare, July 31 (IANS) Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Nelson Chamisa claimed on Tuesday that the election results were turning out in his favour, pending official confirmation, while incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa showed optimism regarding the whole election process.

Mnangagwa, the ex-vice President who was brought to power in 2017 when long-serving leader Robert Mugabe was ousted, and Chamisa are the two frontrunners in the country’s first presidential election in 37 years.

“Winning resoundingly. We now have results from the majority of the over 10,000 polling stations. We’ve done exceedingly well,” Chamisa, who leads the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said on Twitter.

He is a 40-year-old lawyer and pastor whose only experience of power was a stint as a minister in a coalition government several years ago.

“Awaiting ZEC (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) to perform their constitutional duty to officially announce the people’s election results and we are ready to form the next government,” Chamisa added.

Meanwhile, Mnangagwa on his Twitter account, said: “I am delighted by the high turnout and citizen engagement so far. The information from our reps on the ground is extremely positive! Waiting patiently for official results as per the Constitution.”

Mnangagwa, a longtime Mugabe aide and head of the ruling Zanu-PF party, is a dour former spy chief known as “the Crocodile” for his reputation for ruthless cunning.

The official results are expected to be revealed between Friday and Saturday.

The Zimbabwe Election Commission said it had not seen any evidence of rigging or cheating. International observers said they had seen few problems other than some poor organisation in places, according to the Guardian. </s> Emmerson Mnangagwa has won Zimbabwe's presidential election in a poll marred by voters' violent reaction to delays in the results.

The election commission early Friday gave Mnangagwa 50.8 percent of the vote, barely ahead of opposition leader Nelson Chamisa.

The commission said turnout was large in most provinces and that a large number of votes were rejected.

The commission declared the election an unqualified success, but it also said it deeply regretted the violence between protesters and police that left at least six people dead in Harare.

Chamisa and his opposition Movement for Democratic Change party alleged cheating in the election and said Chamisa won the vote.

When asked what he would do if the results did not come out in his favor, Chamisa said, "We'll do a lot of things within the confines of legality and the constitution."

When asked if he'd had any contact with Mnangagwa, as was indicated on Twitter, Chamisa denied it.

Mnangagwa appeared to strike a conciliatory tone on Twitter, saying he would call for an investigation into the violence.

In contradicting Chamisa, Mnangagwa also said, "We have been in communication with Chamisa to discuss how to immediately defuse the situation, and we must maintain this dialogue in order to protect the peace we hold dear."

On Wednesday, hundreds of angry Chamisa supporters thronged the election commission. Protesters threw rocks, as police fired back with tear gas and water cannons.

Later, army vehicles rolled through the streets, and soldiers were seen beating and shooting at pedestrians.

This was the first election for many Zimbabweans without Robert Mugabe, who held power for close to 40 years before resigning as president late last year. </s> HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe's election took an uneasy turn Tuesday when the opposition alleged results were not posted outside one-fifth of polling stations as required by law, and the electoral commission said the impatient nation would have to wait longer to learn who will be its next president.

The government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, meanwhile, suggested the main opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, and his supporters were inciting "violence" by declaring he had won Monday's election even though only parliamentary returns have been announced.

"Let me also warn such individuals and groups that no one is above the law," Home Affairs Minister Obert Mpofu said. Security forces "will remain on high alert and continue to monitor the security situation in the country."

Zimbabweans desperately hope Monday's peaceful vote will lift them out of economic and political stagnation after decades of Robert Mugabe's rule, but the country is haunted by a history of electoral violence and manipulation that means trust is scarce, despite today's freer environment.

While the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has five days from the end of voting to release the final tally, the national mood is growing anxious partly because unofficial results are already swirling on social media.

Dozens of opposition supporters even gathered at their headquarters in the capital, Harare, celebrating in the belief that they had won the presidential election based on results they said they collected from agents in the field. As they danced to music blasting from speakers set up on a truck, police with water cannon circulated in the area.

There was no confrontation, but even the possibility of it was an unnerving reminder of the tensions that pervade the southern African nation, debilitated by Mugabe's long rule. The 94-year-old former leader had been in power since independence from white minority rule in 1980 until he was forced to resign in November after the military and ruling ZANU-PF party turned on him.

Mnangagwa, a former deputy president who fell out with Mugabe and then took over from him, has said his showing in the presidential polls was "extremely positive" while urging people to wait for official results.

Chamisa, a lawyer and pastor who leads the opposition Movement for Democratic Change party, has gone further, saying his own count shows that he won the election and that he's ready to form the next government.

Chamisa's party also said results have not been posted outside 21 percent of the country's nearly 11,000 polling stations, raising concerns about possible vote-rigging. It suggested there was a deliberate effort to delay announcing the results, reflecting deep suspicion about the panel presiding over the election.

Priscilla Chigumba, a judge who heads the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, said she was confident there had been no "cheating" in the first election without Mugabe on the ballot. Each polling station must post its results outside after vote-counting, she said.

"We will not steal their choice of leaders, we will not subvert their will," Chigumba said.

"The atmosphere has remained peaceful" and the commission has not received any major complaints about the election, she said.

The commission said it would delay releasing any results of the presidential race until all the votes are collated. If no presidential candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be held Sept. 8.

More than 5.5 million people were registered to vote in an election featuring a record number of more than 20 presidential candidates and nearly 130 political parties.

Western election observers were in Zimbabwe, a sign of a freer political environment since the resignation of Mugabe, who declared he would not vote for the ruling party he long controlled and called Chamisa the only viable candidate.

Meanwhile, a monitoring group, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, issued preliminary findings on the vote, noting improvements such as a biometric registration system that reduced the chances of fraud.

However, it noted problems with implementation, saying the election commission at one point allotted more registration kits to rural areas and fewer to urban areas. The ruling party has strong rural support, while the opposition is popular in the cities.

Elmar Brok, head of the European Union monitoring mission, said Tuesday that his team noted some "inconsistencies" but that overall there was "progress" compared to past elections.

"In African elections, often stakes are very high and nobody has a backup plan for losing," said John Dramani Mahama, former president of Ghana and head of the observer mission from the Commonwealth nations, mostly former British colonies.

The contenders in Zimbabwe's vote must accept the results and "should look at the larger picture of success, a successful election for Zimbabwe," he said.

A voter in Harare said Zimbabwe is eager to hear the election results as soon as possible.

"Because people are not yet settled, they're thinking of too many things," said 65-year-old Chaka Nyuka. "They need a good change. People are looking for that." </s> Emmerson Mnangagwa has taken the oath as Zimbabwe's president, after winning last month's bitterly contested election that marked the country's first vote since Robert Mugabe was removed from power.

The Constitutional Court confirmed Mnangagwa's election victory in a ruling released on Friday, dismissing a challenge by the man he defeated in the July 30 ballot, opposition leader Nelson Chamisa.

Thousands of people, some from outside the capital, and foreign leaders gathered on Sunday at Harare's national stadium for the swearing-in of Mnangagwa, who just secured the 50 percent of votes needed to avoid a runoff against Chamisa.

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Mnangagwa pledged to "protect and promote the rights of Zimbabweans" in his oath.

"I, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, swear that as president of the Republic of Zimbabwe I will be faithful to Zimbabwe [and] will obey uphold and defend the constitution of Zimbabwe," Mnangagwa said.

He took the oath before Chief Justice Luke Malaba who, together with eight other Constitutional Court judges had dismissed Chamisa's petition.

The election was touted as a crucial step towards shedding the pariah reputation Zimbabwe gained under Mnangagwa's predecessor Robert Mugabe, and securing international donor funding to revive a crippled economy.

Political tensions

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, reporting from Harare, said Zimbabweans expected the president to send a message of unity amid political tensions that occurred following the elections.

"He has to convince Zimbabweans that he will be the president for all citizens not only for the ruling ZANU–PF party," she said.

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Hours before Mnangagwa's inauguration, the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute said the country lacked a "tolerant democratic culture" in which political parties were treated equally and citizens allowed to vote freely.

The election was marred by procedural lapses and followed by an army crackdown against opposition supporters, undermining promises that Mnangagwa made during campaigning to break with the corruption and mismanagement that become endemic under Mugabe.

The crackdown, which left six people dead on August 1, recalled the heavy-handed security tactics that marked the 37-year rule of Mugabe, who was removed in a coup in November. </s> HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's opposition accused the election commission on Tuesday of deliberately delaying results of this week's vote to favor the ruling party, reporting irregularities in the first poll since the removal of Robert Mugabe in a November coup.

Even though the election passed off peacefully, several water cannon trucks patrolled outside the central Harare headquarters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as its red-shirted supporters danced in the streets.

Some local results from parallel parliamentary elections have been declared but the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has yet to produce any figures from Monday's presidential vote.

ZEC chief Priscilla Chigumba said the presidential result may not be ready until Saturday.

Former MDC finance minister Tendai Biti and ZESN, the main domestic election monitor, said one in five polling stations - more than 2,000 in all - had not physically posted tallies on their doors, as required by law.

That omission gave room for the ZEC, which ZESN and the opposition have accused of bias, to manipulate the results in favor of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ruling ZANU-PF party, Biti said.

"There is a deliberate delay in formally announcing results," Biti told a news conference, characterizing it as "interference with the people's will".

ZESN and other civil society groups were preparing a legal challenge to force the results into the open, Biti said.

ZEC said there was no rigging or cheating in the vote, whose credibility is vital in Zimbabwe's attempts to emerge from the pariah status and economic decay into which it sank in the latter half of Mugabe's nearly four decades in charge.

However, ZEC did not explain the failure by the polling stations to post results.

The poll is a two-horse race between 75-year-old Mnangagwa, a long-serving security chief who took over after Mugabe's removal, and 40-year-old MDC leader Nelson Chamisa.

Both men have expressed confidence in victory although Western diplomats and local observer groups said the race, which saw a turnout of 75 percent, was too close to call.

"The information from our representatives on the ground is extremely positive!" Mnangagwa said on his official Twitter feed.

Chamisa had earlier said he was poised for victory, writing on Twitter: "Awaiting ZEC to perform their constitutional duty to officially announce the people's election results and we are ready to form the next government."

As well as electing a president, Zimbabweans were voting for 210 members of parliament and more than 9,000 councillors.

The final outcome may not be known until Aug. 4. In the absence of a clear winner, a run-off will be held on Sept. 8.

The winner must put Zimbabwe back on track after 37 years under Mugabe tainted by corruption, mismanagement and diplomatic isolation that brought one of Africa's most promising economies to its knees.

Election monitor sources said Monday's vote appeared to have passed without major foul play although they noted some coercion and intimidation of voters in rural areas by ZANU-PF and said state media was biased toward the ruling party.

Chamisa questioned the independence of the ZEC and said voters were being suppressed in urban areas where he is popular. ZANU-PF has denied any misconduct.

Whatever the outcome, unrest remains possible. If the MDC loses and contests the result there could be street protests. Protracted court battles could also spark violence and delay much-needed economic reforms.

Should Mnangagwa lose, many Zimbabweans fear some in the ruling party may not accept the result, particularly given the huge risks some senior cadres and army officers took in removing Mugabe. Some of the organizers of the coup are now in government, including Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.

Mnangagwa and ZANU-PF have said they will accept the result, but after a string of questionable elections under Mugabe, many Zimbabweans remained skeptical.

"If this guy loses there is no way they will hand over power," said Gift Machekera, pointing at a huge banner of Mnangagwa hanging on a building in Harare. "Those who have the guns have the power. This is Africa."

Several civil society groups are collating results from 10,985 polling posts in parallel with ZEC but are not allowed to release results early. A source at one group said it was too early to call a winner but it was looking "very close".

In the capital Harare, an MDC stronghold, results posted outside some polling stations showed Chamisa winning by wide margins, but Mnangagwa was expected to claw back ground in ZANU-PF's rural heartland. Urban results tend to emerge quicker than those from rural outposts.

The run-up to Monday's vote was peaceful compared with past elections under Mugabe, where the ruling party and veterans of the 1970s independence struggle were accused of violence against opponents. Dozens of people were killed ahead of a runoff in 2008 between Mugabe and MDC-founder Morgan Tsvangirai, who died of cancer in February.

Mugabe emerged on the eve of the election to announce he would vote for the opposition, surprising Mnangagwa who accused him of striking a deal with Chamisa. </s> Mnangagwa won the election with 50.8 percent of the vote, just enough to meet the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a run-off against the main opposition led by Nelson Chamisa

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Emmerson Mnangagwa was officially sworn in as president of Zimbabwe on Sunday, August 26 after winning a bitterly contested election that marked the country's first vote since Robert Mugabe was ousted from power.

Mnangagwa, whose victory in the July 30 polls was challenged by the main opposition, pledged to "protect and promote the rights of Zimbabweans" in an inauguration ceremony attended by a crowd of thousands at a stadium in Harare.

"I Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa swear that as president of the republic of Zimbabwe I will be faithful to Zimbabwe (and) will obey uphold and defend the constitution of Zimbabwe," Mnangagwa said.

Once Mugabe's right-hand man, Mnangagwa of the ruling ZANU-PF party won the election with 50.8 percent of the vote, just enough to meet the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a run-off against the main opposition led by Nelson Chamisa, who scored 44.3 percent.

International observers said the polls were largely free of the violence which characterized previous votes in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe's top court on Friday dismissed Chamisa's bid to have the results annulled because of allegated of vote rigging. – Rappler.com
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission declares Emmerson Mnangagwa of the ruling ZANU–PF party the winner of Zimbabwe's 2018 presidential election.