HARARE – Emmerson Mnangagwa of the ruling Zanu-PF party took a significant lead in Zimbabwe’s presidential election race Thursday, ahead of his main opponent Nelson Chamisa of the opposition MDC party, according to official results.
With nine out of ten provinces declared, Mnangagwa had 2 147 505 votes to Chamisa’s 1 929 704, according to tallies from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
Incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa has a large lead in Zimbabwe’s disputed presidential poll, according to the country’s electoral commission.
With nine out of 10 provinces declared, the current president and Zanu-PF leader has 2.15 million votes against 1.93 million for opposition leader Nelson Chamisa.
Both sides had claimed victory before the official announcement, with the aftermath of polling day marred by deadly protests and clashes that have left six people dead and 14 injured.
The violence has seen the military sweep in and use live rounds to disperse protests over alleged vote rigging in Zimbabwe’s first elections since the departure of dictator Robert Mugabe.
Elections meant to restore trust in Zimbabwe after decades of Mugabe rule has instead seen familiar scenes of violence and claims of vote rigging.
There were conflicting accounts as to who was responsible for the bloodshed in the capital Harare, which followed opposition protests after it was announced Zanu-PF had won a majority in parliament.
Mr Mangwana blamed the MDC for the violence, saying “it is not entirely true protesters were not armed”.
Mr Chamisa, a lawyer and pastor, blamed Zimbabwe’s “violent government”, saying: “We have unarmed civilians being attacked. Is that normal even in a banana republic?”
International election observers earlier called for the result of the presidential vote to be released as soon as possible to ease tensions, saying delays will add to any speculation the result was manipulated.
The 9 provinces’ results are as follows:
HARARE PROV
MDC= 540 889
ZANU= 204 710
MASVINGO PROV
MDC= 171 196
ZANU= 319 073
MASH EAST PROV
MDC= 189 024
ZANU= 334 617
MAT SOUTH PROV
MDC= 90 292
ZANU= 107 008
BULAWAYO PROV
MDC= 144 107
ZANU= 60 168
MAT NORTH PROV
MDC= 137 611
ZANU= 111 452
MASH CENTRAL PROV
MDC= 97 097
ZANU= 366 785
MIDLANDS PROV
MDC= 255 059
ZANU= 350 754
