The count begins in the first post-Mugabe elections in Zimbabwe :: Kenya

The first elections in Zimbabwe began to be counted since Robert Mugabe was ousted after 37 years of power Monday.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe's former right-hand man in the ruling ZANU-PF party, clashed with opposition leader Nelson Chamisa of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) during the historic vote

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Zimbabweans go to the polls

"I'm not shy to say that I voted for Chamisa, he is young and can understand our situation as a young man," said Ndumiso Nyoni, 20, a worker in a lodge in Lupane, Zimbabwe.

The pollsters, in which a record number of candidates stood up, said that many polling stations had queues and estimated that the average voter turnout was about 75% at 16:00 GMT Monday.

"We are of the opinion that the high voter turnout reflects strong voter education and publicity," said Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) President Priscilla Chigumba at a press conference in Harare.

Already banned election observers from the European Union, present for the first time in years, said participation seemed high, but warned of possible "loopholes".

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"There are gaps that we must check, we do not know yet whether it was a trend or a bad organization in some polling stations", told AFP Elmar Brok, chief observer of the EU.

"Overall (there was) a huge amount of votes – especially young people, mostly in a very good atmosphere, generally peaceful, which is positive."

With 5.6 million registered voters, the results of presidential, parliamentary and local elections are expected by August 4.

A second round vote is scheduled for September 8 if no presidential candidate wins at least 50%.

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Former 94-year-old President Mugabe, who was overthrown by the army in November, voted at his usual polling station in Harare alongside his wife Grace. He had already held a press conference last Sunday when he called on voters to reject ZANU-PF.

Mugabe, wearing a dark suit and a red tie, was hailed after voting but did not answer reporters' questions about the people for whom he had voted.

Mnangagwa, who voted in his constituency of Kwekwe in central Zimbabwe, said Mugabe had the right to speak in the country's new "democratic space".

"Zimbabwe had a beautiful expression of freedom and democracy and in our millions we voted in a spirit of tolerance, mutual respect and peace," Mnangagwa wrote on Twitter after the closure of vote.

"Emphatic Voice for Change"?

Mnangagwa, 75, promised change and is the first to benefit from tacit military support, state media loyalty and control of the ruling party over government resources.

The party also holds a majority in the lower house of parliament, which is about to be elected.

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But Chamisa, a 40-year-old lawyer and pastor who has done strong campaigning, hopes to take advantage of the youth vote.
"At the end of the day, we should be very clear about an emphatic voice for change, the new and the young – I represent it," Chamisa said while voting in Harare, surrounded by supporters.

He again raised allegations of fraud by saying that his victory would be badured if the faked ballots were excluded.

On Twitter, he baderted that there was a "deliberate attempt to suppress" voting in urban areas – the MDC strongholds.

Zimbabwe's generals shocked the world last year when they took control and brought Mnangagwa into power after Mugabe treated his wife to succeed him.

The election is Zimbabwe's first without Mugabe, who led ZANU-PF to lead Britain's independence in 1980 and came to power for 37 years. years.

The elections under Mugabe were tainted by systematic fraud and often deadly violence, but the election campaign before Monday's vote was relatively unrestricted and peaceful.

A recent Afrobarometer poll of 2,400 people put Mnangagwa on 40% and Chamisa on 37%, with 20% undecided.

"We Can not Trust the Novices"

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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned of intimidation and threats of violence before polling day, but said that he was encouraged to organize open rallies and peaceful demonstrations.

The new government will face mbad unemployment and a shattered economy by seizure of white-owned farms under Mugabe, the collapse of agriculture, hyperinflation and the Exodus of investments.

Previously, health and education services were in ruins and millions of people had fled abroad.

Life expectancy has only recently returned to its 61-year-old level in 1985.
"While investors remain skeptical as to whether Mugabe's former right-hand man has actually returned a new sheet, Mnangagwa's charm offensive with Western governments and corporations has given him at least credibility credible, "said Charles Verloff. Laurie in a note.

In Harare, 32-year-old Tinashe Dongo, a graduate in finance, said he wanted a "change" after Monday's vote.

"We want these diplomas to be used and our children to appreciate the value of education … My main concern is the (electoral commission), it obviously has a favorite party," he said. -he says.

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