HARARE – Protests in Zimbabwe turned bloody Wednesday when soldiers opened fire and a man was shot dead during demonstrations over alleged vote fraud, shaking hopes that the election would mark a new era for the country.
The man died after soldiers fired live ammunition during opposition MDC party protests in downtown Harare, AFP reporters saw.
Monday’s polls — the first since autocratic president Robert Mugabe was forced out by a brief military takeover in November — had been meant to turn the page on years of violence-marred elections and brutal repression of dissent.
But the mood quickly descended into anger and chaos as supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition declared they had been cheated.
“You said you were better than Mugabe — you are the picture of Mugabe,” shouted one young male protester wearing a white T-shirt. “We need security for the people.”
Official results showed that the ruling ZANU-PF party had easily won most seats in the parliamentary ballot — strengthening President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s prospects of holding onto power in the key presidential vote.
MDC supporters burnt tyres and pulled down street signs as protests spread from the party headquarters in Harare.
“Now is the time for responsibility and above all, peace,” wrote Mnangagwa on his verified Twitter account.
“At this crucial time, I call on everyone to desist from provocative declarations and statements.”
The United States embassy issued a statement to “urge the Defense Forces of Zimbabwe to use restraint in dispersing protesters”, adding it was “deeply concerned by events” in the Zimbabwean capital.
Mnangagwa, 75, had promised a free and fair vote after the military ushered him to power in November when Mugabe was forced to resign.
UN-level Playing Field
European Union observers had earlier said they found an “improved political climate” in the elections but an “un-level playing field and lack of trust in the process.” It called for transparency in the release of results.
EU chief observer Elmar Brok said there were “efforts to undermine the free expression of the will of the electors through inducements, soft intimidation, pressure and coercion… to try to ensure a vote in favour of the ruling party.”
“On many occasions, preparation, financing, media and hopefully not in the counting — it was advantageous for the ruling party,” he told AFP.
Under Mugabe’s 37-year reign, elections were often marred by fraud and deadly violence, with European Union observers banned since 2002.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said Wednesday that of 210 parliamentary seats, 205 had been counted with ZANU-PF winning 144 and the MDC Alliance 61.
“The results are biased, trying to give the impression that ZANU has won,” said Lawrence Maguranyi, 21, an MDC supporter and university student protesting at the party headquarters.
MDC leader Nelson Chamisa, 40, said the presidential results were fraudulent.
“We have won the popular vote… We have won this one together. No amount of results manipulation will alter your will,” he tweeted before the army opened fire.
