Zimbabwe took its first steps into an uncertain future after the official end of the era of Robert Mugabe, following a landmark election, with flickering hopes of peace and stability, but also a great deal of trepidation about what may lie ahead.
Emmerson Mnangagwa, once Mr Mugabe’s loyal ally who had played a key part in overthrowing Africa’s longest serving head of state, was declared winner in the presidential poll by a very narrow margin, avoiding a second round run-off against his chief rival, Nelson Chamisa, by 0.8 per cent after getting past the stipulated 50 per cent mark.
As expected, Mr Chamisa rejected the outcome of the election, vowing to overturn it. His first reaction was however relatively restrained compared to the highly aggressive stance of the past. Twelve hours earlier he had warned of massive street protests raising fears of further violence after troops shot six people dead, and injured more than 30 in clashes with protestors on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe Election: Nelson Chamisa Vows To 'Overturn' Emmerson Mnangagwa's 'Unverified, Fake' Victory |
Although Mr Mnangagwa’s Zanu-PF had won the parliamentary poll by a significant margin, his personal win was far less emphatic, falling below the 53 to 55 per cent predicted by his supporters as well as foreign diplomats. His supporters, despite this, acclaimed his “triumph”.
The 75-year-old, who had been acting president since Mr Mugabe’s overthrow last November tweeted he was “humbled” to be elected president. He added: “although we are divided at the polls, we are united in our dreams. This is a new beginning, let us join hands in peace, unity and love to build a new Zimbabwe for all.”
The acrimony and suspicion which has marked the campaign was present right at the end, with the MDC chairman Morgan Komichi taking to the stage at the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) offices during the announcement of the result to claim the figures being presented were false.
Mr Komichi was escorted out by security guards after protests from Zanu-PF ministers and officials present but not before he denounced Mr Mnangagwa’s victory as fake in front of a swathe of international media present to record the results. “The elections are fraudulent; everything has been done illegally”, he declared.
The new president of Zimbabwe got early, and important, international endorsement of his win from the Chinese government, which had invested hugely in Zimbabwe. It said in a statement “as a friendly nation to Zimbabwe we call upon relevant parties to put the interest of the country and the people first and respect the choice made by the Zimbabwean people.” Independent.co.uk