With our correspondent in Johannesburg, Claire Bargeles
The opponent denounces a “ hit by the ballot box “. ” We won this election », hammered Nelson Chamisa in front of the press. ” We are in the lead, we will challenge these results, hastily assembled and without real verification concluded the 45-year-old lawyer and pastor, leader of the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC). He claims to have in his possession the documents which list the results by polling station, and whose figures do not correspond to the added results. The day before, as the re-election of Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80, was announcedwith two days in advance, as well as the victory of the ZANU-PF in power, Nelson Chamisa had, in a post on the social network X (ex-Twitter), denounced ” flagrant and massive fraud “.
” We are ready to form the next government added Nelson Chamisa during his address to the media, without specifying what exactly will be the next step for his party, while confidence in the judicial system is very low according to European Union observers.
A “ mature democracy “, welcomes President Mnangagwa
Wednesday’s poll in Zimbabwe had to be extended on Thursday due to insufficient ballot papers, particularly in the capital Harare, and took place amid voter intimidation at the gates of polling stations, actions that the head of the African Union observer mission, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, described as potential ” criminal offenses “.
The water cannons were deployed around the center of the elections, the seat five years ago of demonstrations whose repression had killed six people, when Emmerson Mnangagwa had been proclaimed winner in front of, already, Nelson Chamisa.
For his part, reappointed as head of state for a second term, Emmerson Mnangagwa used his first speech to call for ” unity and stability ” from the country.
Despite the many problems highlighted by international observers and in particular the extension of the day of voting until the next day, which calls into question the smooth running of the ballot, the Zimbabwean president said he was proud to govern a ” mature democracy “, and indicates to those who contest the election that they “ know where to go to complain “.