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Regional and international observers listed concerns over the canning of opposition rallies, denial of accreditation to several foreign media, missing voters’ names from the roll at their polling station, biased state media, and voter intimidation among the issues that sullied the election.
Regional and international observers listed concerns over the canning of opposition rallies, denial of accreditation to several foreign media, missing voters’ names from the roll at their polling station, biased state media, and voter intimidation among the issues that sullied the election. Zimbabweans went to the polls on two days- Wednesday and Thursday. The poll was marred by delays. The vote took place against a backdrop of discontent at Zimbabwe’s economic crisis. Regional and international observers listed concerns over the canning of opposition rallies, denial of accreditation to several foreign media, missing voters’ names from the roll at their polling station, biased state media, and voter intimidation among the issues that sullied the election.
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The head of the European Union observer mission, Fabio Massimo Castaldo, said the election fell short of many regional and international standards. Violence and intimidation resulted ultimately in a climate of fear, he added.
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Commonwealth Observer mission chair Amina Mohamed, of Kenya, said overall the voting process was well conducted and peaceful but a number of significant issues impacted on the election’s “credibility and transparency. It was a rare rebuke from the 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) whose observers usually endorse polls in the member countries.
The election is being watched across southern Africa as a test of support for 80-year-old President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF party, whose 43-year rule has been battered by a moribund economy and charges of authoritarianism
The largest opposition, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), which poses the biggest challenge to Mnangagwa and had more than 100 of its campaign meetings banned, lashed the electoral process as fundamentally flawed. Less than a quarter of polling stations in Harare — an opposition stronghold — opened on time on the first day of voting. The problems forced Mnangagwa, who is seeking a second term, to issue a late-night directive extending the vote by another day.
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CCC leader Nelson Chamisa slammed the delays as a clear case of voter suppression, a classic case of Stone Age and rigging. Chamisa, 45, is the main challenger to Mnangagwa, 80, who came to power after a coup that deposed late ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017.
Meanwhile, 41 local monitors were arrested late at night on election day and had their computers and mobile phones confiscated by police who alleged the equipment was used to unlawfully tabulate results from polling stations, describing the activity as “subversive and criminal.
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A spokesperson for the Zimbabwean opposition party Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) advised gathered media in Harare that his party was performing well in the current elections. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80 of the ruling ZANU-PF, is seeking a second five-year term. His first term was won from a disputed election in 2018 against main challenger Nelson Chamisa, 45, of the CCC who is contesting against him this time also.
