Zimbabwe counts votes after historic elections without Mugabe

Zimbabwe on Tuesday followed the process of counting the votes cast in historic elections, the first elections since the fall of Robert Mugabe, who was overthrown after 37 years of power.

23 candidates competed in the elections but the result of the contest is centered between the incumbent president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, former ally of Mugabe and leader of the ZANU-PF government party, and the opposition Nelson Chamisa, representative of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

"I am not ashamed to say that I voted for Chamisa, he is young and can understand the plight of young people," said Ndumiso Nyoni, a 20-year-old hotelier who issued suffrage in Lupane in the south.

In an electoral district of the capital, Harare, the authorities counted the votes late into the night, lit by gas lamps and candles.

Electoral authorities reported that in many polling stations there were lines and around 16:00 GMT on Monday, they estimated that the turnout was 75%.

"In our opinion, a high turnout is an indicator of the strength of civic education and publicity," said Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEN) President Prisciliana Chirumba, when 39, a press conference in Harare. 19659005] Previously banned EU observers were present for the first time in years and reported a high turnout, but cautioned against any "deficiencies" in the process.

"There were deficiencies that will have to be reviewed, we still do not know if there is a trend or if it was a bad organization in some areas", said Melar Bron, chief observer of the European Union at PAF. (EU) The bloc will publish a report on Wednesday.

– Results of August 4 –

With an electoral universe of 5.6 million registered voters, the results of the elections, presidential, parliamentary and local elections, will be published on August 4.

If no presidential candidate reaches 50%, a second round is scheduled on September 8th.

Mugabe, 94, who was deposed by the army in November, voted in his usual polling booth in Harare, accompanied by his wife, Grace. On Sunday, he had held a surprise press conference in his mansion where he had called to vote against his party, ZANU-PAF

Mugabe, dressed in a dark suit and dressed in a red tie with a handkerchief, was acclaimed by the crowd during the vote, but left the police station without giving statements to reporters on whom he had voted.

Mnangagwa, who voted in his constituency in central Zimbabwe, said Mugabe had the right to express himself in the new "democratic space" that the country has.

75-year-old Mugabe's successor has promised change and is clearly the favorite, enjoying the tacit support of the military, the loyalty of the state press and control of resources of his party. "Zimbabwe has had a beautiful expression of freedom and democracy, and for millions of people we have voted in a spirit of tolerance, mutual respect and peace," Mnangagwa writes on Twitter. after the closing of the polls.

His rival, the LDC candidate is a 40-year-old lawyer and pastor who has recorded strong support in polls, with a commitment to capturing youth voting.

"We must be very clear and emphatic as a voice for change, for the new and for the youth, and I am the one who represents that," said Chamisa, who headed his party. after the death of its historical leader, Porgan Transigir, the eternal rival of Mugaba

The opposition candidate denounced the frauds but badured that his victory was badured if the rigged votes were excluded.

On Twitter, Chamisa said that there had been a "deliberate attempt to suppress" votes in urban areas, which are the bastions of the PMA.

Voting proceeded mostly without incident, despite warnings from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who warned of intimidation and threats during the campaign.

The new government will face the task of fighting endemic unemployment and a crumbling economy, with a pilgrimage that has scared away investors. "Although investors remain skeptical as to whether Mugabe's former right-hand man has turned the page, Mnangagwa's seductive offensive to Western governments and corporations has at least granted him a lifesaver , he said in a statement, notes Charles Lauree, badyst at Verisk Maplecrodt