Zimbabwe’s main opposition on Tuesday called for fresh elections after
its presidential candidate lost to incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa in a
vote it lashed as flawed and illegal.
The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) urged the African Union (AU)
and southern Africa’s regional bloc to help mediate a solution to the crisis
that followed last Wednesday’s vote.
The CCC’s deputy spokesman Ostallos Siziba told a press conference in
Harare, that Zimbabwe needs a fresh and broad and proper election to
exit the current crisis.
80 year old Mnangagwa, won a second term with 52.6 percent against 44
percent for the CCC’s Nelson Chamisa, 45, according to official results
announced late Saturday by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
International observers said the vote fell short of democratic standards.
Balloting was troubled by delays, purportedly caused by the printing of
ballot papers, that forced voting to spill into a second unprecedented day.
The opposition said the poll was marred by rigging and voter suppression
and claimed victory.

Mnangagwa has rebuffed criticism saying the polling “demonstrated that
we are a mature democracy.”
He challenged those who contested his re-election to go to court.
Siziba appealed for African help in finding a way out of the crisis.
The vote has been watched across southern Africa as a test of support for
Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF party, whose 43-year rule has been
accompanied by a moribund economy and charges of authoritarianism.
Observer missions from the European Union, the Commonwealth and
Southern African Development Community (SADC) listed a number of
concerns, including the banning of opposition rallies, issues with the
voter registration rolls, biased state media coverage and voter
intimidation.
It was a rare rebuke from the 16-nation Southern African Development
Community (SADC) whose observers usually endorse polls in the
member countries.
But some member countries, including regional powerhouse South
Africa, have since congratulated Mnangagwa on his re-election.
On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all sides to
“peacefully settle any disputes through established legal and institutional
channels” and resolve disputes “in a fair, expeditious, and transparent
manner to ensure that the results are a true reflection of the will of the
people.”

The CCC did not rule out challenging the results in court, with Siziba
saying the party was going to “employ all the necessary measures at the
right time”.