The World Briefly

August 28, 2023

Rinse and Repeat

Zimbabwe

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Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa won a second term in office following general elections, a vote that was marred by irregularities, delays and allegations of fraud, Sky News reported.

Election officials announced Saturday that Mnangagwa of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) had secured more than 52 percent of the vote. His main rival, Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC), won 44 percent of the vote.

Meanwhile, the ZANU-PF won the parliamentary elections held last week with 136 seats, while the CCC garnered 73 seats, the Guardian added.

The Aug. 23 elections were supposed to be held for just one day, but officials extended it for another amid problems with printing ballot papers and other concerns.

Still, international election observers from the European Union and African Union pointed out many issues surrounding the polls, including intimidation against Chamisa’s supporters.

Shortly after the results were announced, the opposition cried foul and rejected the “hastily assembled” results.

Observers said many Zimbabweans are likely to question the tally, raising concerns of potential post-election violence.

The ZANU-PF party has ruled Zimbabwe since it gained independence from white minority rule in 1980. The election results extend their stay in power, but the party failed to gain a two-thirds majority to allow it to amend the constitution, which analysts said could be used to extend presidential term limits.

Mnangagwa came to power after ousting longtime leader Robert Mugabe in a 2017 coup and narrowly won against Chamisa in a 2018 contested election.

However, his five-year tenure has been marked by economic struggles, with persistently high rates of unemployment and poverty. Despite once being a prosperous region, Zimbabwe now faces food insecurity, affecting around 3.8 million people despite official claims of a bumper harvest.

This story originally appeared in the August 28, 2023 newsletter, Walking Out.