Zimbabwe: Mr. Nelson Chamisa, the Zimbabwean Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader, has called for solidarity from regional partners against a vote he called a “gigantic fraud” that returned Mr. Emmerson Mnangagwa to power.
“Africa, do not leave us. Particularly our brothers and sisters in the region and the continent. We count on your solidarity as we seek to solve this political crisis,” Mr. Chamisa said in a press conference in Harare.
Mr. Mnangagwa secured a second term as president after he won the August 23 general elections with 52.6 percent to Mr. Chamisa’s 44 percent amid criticism that the polls fell short of standards. This is the second time Mr. Mnangagwa and Mr. Chamisa have squared off in a presidential contest.
The South African Development Committee (SADC) election observer mission noted in a report that the polls fell short of “the requirements of the constitution of Zimbabwe”. According to the SADC observers, although the electoral environment was largely peaceful, the polls failed a credibility test. The EU observer mission said the election took place in a climate of “fear.”
Mr. Chamisa stated that his party had evidence that it won the presidential vote. The opposition leader accused the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) of failing to run the polls and announcing the wrong result.
“We stand here in the aftermath of a highly contested election. The election process was shamelessly flawed and violated the laws of our country. There was therefore criminality and illegality in the voting process. The electoral body ZEC failed to perform its constitutional mandate by not announcing the correct result,” the CCC leader commented.
“The election process has not passed the test of legality. As far as we are concerned, a credible election must be honoured; a legitimate government and a legitimate president for everyone must be put in place,” Mr. Chamisa added.
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