Protests in Zimbabwe over polls, one killed
News & Trends •
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 process1 protests in zimbabwes historic elections turned bloody on wednesday as a man was shot dead during demonstrations over alleged vote fraud and president emmerson mnangagwa appealed for calm1 the polls the first since autocratic president robert mugabe was forced out by a brief military takeover in november had offered zimbabwe the chance of turning the page on a brutal chapter of its past1 but the mood quickly descended into anger and chaos as supporters of the movement for democratic change mdc opposition declared they had been cheated1 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 people1 official results showed that the ruling zanu-pf party had easily won the most seats in the parliamentary ballot strengthening mnangagwas prospects of holding onto power in the key presidential vote1 mdc supporters burnt tyres and pulled down street signs as protests spread from the party headquarters in harare1 now is the time for responsibility and above all peace wrote mnangagwa on his verified twitter account1 at this crucial time i call on everyone to desist from provocative declarations and statements1 the man died after soldiers fired live ammunition during opposition protests in downtown harare afp reporters said1 it called for transparency in the release of results1 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 party1 on many occasions preparation financing media and hopefully not in the counting it was advantageous for the ruling party he told afp1 mnangagwa 75 had promised a free and fair vote after the military ushered him to power in november when mugabe was forced to resign1 under mugabes 37-year reign elections were often marred by fraud and deadly violence with the eu observers banned since 20021 the zimbabwe electoral commission zec said wednesday that of 210 parliamentary seats 153 had been counted with zanu-pf winning 110 and the mdc alliance 411 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 headquarters1 mdc leader nelson chamisa 40 said the presidential results were fraudulent1 zec seeks to reverse the peoples presidential election victory. the strategy is meant to prepare zim mentally to accept fake presidential results he tweeted. we won the popular vote and will defend it1