Zimbabwe election: Mnangagwa declared winner after deadly protests

Zimbabwe election: Mnangagwa declared winner after deadly protests

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who replaced Robert Mugabe after serving him for decades, has been declared winner of the Zimbabwe election.

Mnangagwa received 51 percent of the vote, said Priscilla Chigumba, commission chairwoman.

Opposition party members who questioned the count were escorted out of the room before the final vote was announced amid fears of further unrest and claims of vote-rigging by Mnangagwa’s opponents.

Mnangagwa beat out Nelson Chamisa, 40, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Chamisa received 44percent of the vote.

Mnangagwa tweeted: “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!”

On Wednesday, six people were killed in clashes between opposition protesters and security forces in the capital Harare.

The clashes prompted statements of concern from the United States, the United Nations and the United Kingdom.

The bloodshed cast a pall over the Zimbabwe election, the first since veteran leader Mugabe was deposed.

Mnangagwa, who took over the ruling Zanu-PF party from Mugabe last year and was appointed President, called for an independent investigation into the violence.

A protester is hit in the face with a water cannon Wednesday outside the gates of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission in Harare. PHOTO | CNN
Zimbabwe election: A protester is hit in the face with a water cannon Wednesday outside the gates of the Electoral Commission in Harare. PHOTO | CNN

Soldiers spent Thursday morning clearing the central business district of Harare and warning people to leave by noon.

Taxi ranks were full of commuters attempting to find a way out.

Shop fronts were locked, and riot police surrounded the headquarters of the opposition MDC and blocked off nearby streets.

Zimbabwe police officers block the road leading to the opposition offices in Harare, Zimbabwe, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018. Photo | CNN
Zimbabwe election: Police officers block the road leading to the opposition offices in Harare, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018. Photo | CNN

Police arrested 18 people during a raid at the MDC headquarters, Zimbabwe Republic Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said.

The charges were not immediately clear, but Charamba said, in total, officers have taken into custody 26 people suspected of inciting violence during Wednesday’s protests.

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Robert Mugabe Emmerson Mnangagwa Zimbabwe election

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