BFF-05, 06 Zimbabwe warns of crackdown after opposition vote protests

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Zimbabwe warns of crackdown after opposition vote protests

HARARE, Aug 2, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Zimbabwe’s government vowed Wednesday to
crack down on opposition dissent after three people were killed when protests
against alleged electoral fraud were met by live ammunition, denting hopes of
a new era for the country.

Soldiers fired on demonstrators during opposition MDC party protests in
downtown Harare, AFP witnesses saw, with one man shot dead in the stomach.

Monday’s polls — the first since autocratic president Robert Mugabe was
forced out by a brief military takeover in November — had been meant to turn
the page on years of violence-marred elections and brutal repression of
dissent.

But the mood quickly descended into anger and chaos as supporters of the
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition declared they were being
cheated in the election count.

“You said you were better than Mugabe — you are the picture of Mugabe,”
shouted one young male protester wearing a white T-shirt. “We need security
for the people.”

Official results showed that the ruling ZANU-PF party had easily won most
seats in the parliamentary ballot — strengthening President Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s prospects of holding onto power in the key presidential race.

MDC supporters, who say their leader Nelson Chamisa won the vote, burnt
tyres and pulled down street signs as protests spread from the party
headquarters in the capital Harare.

Police confirmed the death toll of three, and Mnangagwa issued a statement
blaming the opposition for the unrest and fatalities.

“We hold the opposition MDC Alliance and its whole leadership responsible
for this disturbance of national peace,” he said, adding the government “went
out of its way” to try to ensure the elections were peaceful.

Mnangagwa, 75, had promised a free and fair vote after the military ushered
him to power in November when Mugabe was forced to resign. In a late-night
press conference, Home Affairs Minister Obert Mpofu warned that the
government “will not tolerate any of the actions that were witnessed today.

MORE/FI/ 0800 hrs

ZCZC

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ZIMBABWE-VOTE-UPDATE-2-LAST “The opposition… have perhaps interpreted our
understanding to be weak, and I think they are testing our resolve and I
think they are making a big mistake.”

A credible and peaceful vote was meant to end Zimbabwe’s international
isolation and draw in foreign investment to revive the shattered economy.

The MDC, which accuses the election authorities of falsifying results, said
the army had opened fire “for no apparent reason” leading to the deaths of
unarmed civilians.

– ‘Un-level playing field’ –

European Union observers had earlier declared they found an “un-level
playing field and lack of trust” in the election process. It called for
transparency in the release of results.

“On many occasions — preparation, financing, media and hopefully not in
the counting — it was advantageous for the ruling party,” EU chief observer
Elmar Brok told AFP.

Former colonial power Britain on Wednesday called for “calm and restraint”,
urging “political leaders to take responsibility… at this critical moment.”

Under Mugabe’s 37-year reign, elections were often marred by fraud and
deadly violence, with European Union observers banned since 2002.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said Wednesday that of 210
parliamentary seats, 205 had been counted with ZANU-PF winning 144 and the
MDC Alliance 61.

“The results are biased, trying to give the impression that ZANU has won,”
said Lawrence Maguranyi, 21, an MDC supporter and university student
protesting at the party headquarters.

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa, 40, said the presidential results were
fraudulent.

“We have won this one together. No amount of results manipulation will
alter your will,” he tweeted before the army were deployed.

– Delayed results? –

The electoral commission warned that final results of the presidential
first round may not be known until Friday or Saturday.

Commission chairwoman Priscilla Chigumba, a high court judge, has flatly
denied allegations of bias and strongly disputed accusations of rigging.

Mugabe, 94, voted in Harare on Monday alongside his wife Grace after he
stunned observers by calling for voters to reject ZANU-PF, his former party.

His attempts to position Grace as his successor are widely thought to have
driven the military to intervene and put their favoured candidate, Mnangagwa,
in power.

Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s former right-hand man, was the clear election front-
runner, benefitting from tacit military support and control of state
resources.

But Chamisa, a lawyer and pastor who performed strongly on the campaign
trail, sought to tap into the youth and urban vote.

Mnangagwa was allegedly involved in violence and intimidation during the
2008 elections when then opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of
the run-off after attacks claimed the lives of at least 200 of his
supporters.

BSS/AFP/FI/ 0802 hrs