Zimbabwe votes in first post-Mugabe poll
HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabweans voted on Monday in the first election since former president Robert Mugabe was ousted in a de facto coup, with allegations of voter suppression raising fears of a disputed result.
Nelson Chamisa, the main challenger to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a long-time Mugabe ally, gave no evidence for his claim that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) was impeding voting in urban areas where he enjoys strong support.
“The people’s will being negated & undetermined due to these deliberate & unnecessary delays,” Chamisa tweeted.
The ZEC was not immediately available to comment. It has denied Chamisa’s previous allegations of bias.
A credible election is essential if Zimbabwe is to exit painful sanctions and secure the donor funding needed to stem chronic cash shortages.
Chamisa said his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) would win if there was no “ballot mischief,” making it likely he will challenge the outcome if Mnangagwa prevails, something likely to lead to street protests and possible violence.
Dozens of people were killed ahead of a runoff in 2008 between Mugabe and MDC-founder Morgan Tsvangirai, who died of cancer in February.
While absent from the ballot paper for the first time since independence from Britain in 1980, Mugabe emerged from eight months of obscurity on the eve of the election to announce he would vote for the opposition, surprising former ally Mnangagwa who accused him of striking a deal with Chamisa.