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Zimbabwe’s incumbent President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, emerged as the victor in the nation’s recent presidential elections held on August 26. Despite the contest being fraught with delays, President Mnangagwa secured a majority in the tightly contested race.
“The results of the 2023 presidential election have been officially announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. His Excellency, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has been declared the winner with 2,350,711 votes, accounting for 52.6% of the total vote. Following closely is Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party, who garnered 1,906,734 votes, representing 44% of the total,” shared Zimbabwe’s Information Ministry via a Saturday tweet.
This victory, secured by the 80-year-old incumbent, further solidifies the Zanu-PF’s enduring influence on Zimbabwean politics. The party has maintained a firm grip on power since the country’s liberation from British colonial rule in 1980.
In contrast to his earlier optimism regarding victory, 45-year-old Chamisa has rejected the electoral results announced by the governing body. His party has raised concerns about the delayed distribution of voting materials, which led to widespread voting disruptions, along with allegations of irregularities in the voting process.
The CCC highlighted in a statement on Wednesday that several of its candidates were omitted from the ballot papers. Furthermore, some of these ballots featured images of the ruling party’s candidates in instances where CCC candidates were expected.
In a preliminary report issued on Friday, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) emphasized the dwindling of fundamental freedoms during the electoral proceedings. Instances of violence and intimidation were noted, fostering an atmosphere of fear during the polls.
Around 40 election monitors were apprehended by Zimbabwean authorities on Thursday for allegedly orchestrating the premature release of results prior to the final vote tally.
Amnesty International, a human rights advocacy group, commented on these arrests, stating that they followed the Zimbabwe NGO Forum’s release of a report detailing irregularities observed on the day of the election.
This election marks the second time Zimbabweans have voted since the ousting of the authoritarian leader, Robert Mugabe, by military intervention in 2017.
