Zimbabwe vote results spark violence
Announcement delayed for presidential count
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Soldiers and police fired live rounds, water cannons and tear gas at furious protesters who threw rocks and burned vehicles Wednesday in Zimbabwe’s capital, dashing the optimism of an election that the country hoped would set it on a new course after decades of Robert Mugabe’s rule. At least three people were reported killed.
Violence swept through central Harare after an official announcement that the ruling ZANU-PF party had won most of the seats in Parliament, an outcome that enraged opposition supporters who believe they have been cheated of victory.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s decision to delay announcing the results of the presidential race at least until Thursday — three days after the vote — seemed certain to bring more opposition anger if President Emmerson Mnangagwa is declared the winner. Alternatively, many Zimbabweans wonder whether the ruling establishment, including the military, would accept a win for the main opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa.
Monday’s upbeat spectacle of millions of Zimbabweans voting peacefully was eclipsed 48 hours later by scenes of tanks and other military vehicles speeding through debris-strewn streets and soldiers beating protesters who had blocked main roads and set bonfires. Some journalists also were attacked.
The riots surged up to the fence of the Rainbow Towers Hotel & and Conference Centre, where the electoral commission has been announcing results and many international election observers are staying.
Mnangagwa, a former deputy president who succeeded Mugabe after a military takeover in November, blamed the opposition for the violence and said it was “meant to disrupt the electoral process,” the state broadcaster reported.
The opposition, in turn, said security forces acted in a “disproportionate and unjustified” way, and it questioned why the military had been deployed.
International monitors gave their first assessments of the election, saying it was conducted in a relatively free environment and was a big improvement over past votes marred by violence and irregularities, although they noted significant problems.