Tense Zimbabwe awaits presidential vote results
BLAME GAME Army criticised for crackdown on oppn, cops blame unrest on rioters
HARARE: Zimbabwe’s ruling party and the main opposition group on Thursday both declared that they won the presidential election ahead of the imminent announcement of the result, reflecting a bitter rivalry that was exacerbated by deadly violence in the capital.
The death toll from the clashes on Wednesday rose to six, police said, while 14 were injured and 18 people were arrested at the offices of the main opposition party amid tensions over an election that was supposed to restore trust in Zimbabwe after decades of rule by Robert Mugabe.
There were conflicting accounts of who was responsible for the bloodshed in the capital of Harare, which happened after opposition demonstrators protested alleged vote-rigging and rioted in some areas. Police countered with tear gas and water cannon, and then soldiers fired live rounds to disperse angry crowds.
While the military has been criticised for its bloody crackdown, police spokeswoman Charity Charamba blamed rioters for the unrest, saying some were drunk and that they destroyed eight cars and 22 shops. About 4,000 opposition supporters, some carrying iron bars and stones, were “besieging” downtown Harare, she said.
International election observers urged the commission to reveal the presidential results as soon as possible, saying delays will increase speculation about vote-rigging.
Meanwhile, police raided the party headquarters of the main opposition candidate, Nelson Chamisa, and a lawyers’ group said he was being investigated by police for allegedly inciting violence. Eighteen people in the offices were arrested, police said.
Chamisa, opposition politician Tendai Biti and several others are suspected of the crimes of “possession of dangerous weapons” and “public violence,” according to a copy of a search warrant, authorising police to search for and confiscate any evidence as part of their investigation.
The authenticity of the warrant was confirmed by Kumbirai Mafunda, a spokesman for Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
Chamisa, however, said the police who raided his headquarters and seized computers were looking for what he called evidence of vote-rigging. The evidence already had been moved to a “safe house”, he said.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ruling ZANU-PF party have accused the opposition of inciting the deadly violence. The opposition, human rights activists and international election observers condemned the “excessive” force used to crush the protests and appealed to all sides to exercise restraint.
As the rival camps sparred over the election outcome, they also appealed for calm amid a fog of conflicting accounts. Mnangagwa said his government was in touch with Chamisa in an attempt to ease the tensions, though the opposition leader said he had not received any communication.