Politics

Zimbabwe: Opposition kicks as ZEC declares President Mnangagwa re-elected

Published

1 year ago

August 27, 2023

Emmerson Mnangagwa has been declared the winner of the presidential election with about 53% of the total votes, but opposition and observers have maintained that the electoral process was flawed.

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) late on Thursday announced that the 80-year-old politician who contested under the ruling ZANU-PF had been re-elected after his main challenger, Nelson Chamisa, who leads the opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) party, secured 44% of the presidential vote.

A spokesperson for the CCC who rejected the results, stated on social media that the party rejected “any result hastily assembled without proper verification”.

Mnangagwa, who took over from longtime leader Robert Mugabe after a 2017 army coup, was widely expected to secure re-election for a second term as analysts said the contest was heavily skewed in favour of the ZANU-PF ruling party, which had been in power for more than four decades.

From its own observation of the election, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) identified difficulties such as sluggish voting, the prohibition of rallies, and skewed official media coverage.

A lecturer in politics at the University of the Witwatersrand quoted by Reuters noted that the late announcement on Saturday was likely a reaction to criticism from SADC and other election observers.

“We all have a lot of questions about the speed with which ZEC is announcing presidential results,” she said.

In 2018, Mnangagwa narrowly defeated Chamisa in the presidential election with 51.44% votes to 45.07, which the constitutional court upheld amid allegations of election rigging from the opposition.

ZANU-PF supporters have taken to the streets following the victory of Mnangagwa. Although the election buildup was generally peaceful, the Southern African country will hope for that there is no post-election violence like the one that followed the 2018 polls, forcing the President to appoint the Motlanthe Commission of Inquiry, which found that six people died and 35 others were injured by state security forces.

Related Topics:Featured Zimbabwe election

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Politics

Mozambique’s top court affirms governing party’s victory in recent election

Published

6 days ago

December 26, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The highest court in Mozambique affirmed Monday that the incumbent Frelimo party won the October election, sparking widespread demonstrations from opposition parties who claim the vote was manipulated.

Fears of fresh bloodshed have been raised in the nation already shaken by weeks of fatal protests after Mozambique’s top electoral court mostly confirmed the results of the country’s contentious October elections, reinforcing the Frelimo party’s decades-long hold on power.

The final decision on the election process rests with the Constitutional Council. Mozambique, a nation of over 35 million people in Southern Africa that Frelimo has ruled since 1975, is expected to see more protests in response to its judgement.

Mozambique operates a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic in a multi-party system. The president of Mozambique serves as both the head of state and the head of government.

The government exercises executive power. The administration and the Assembly of the Republic have the authority to enact laws.

Politics

Alliance of Sahel States opposes ECOWAS disengagement schedule

Published

6 days ago

December 26, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) withdrawal timeline has been rejected by the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which is made up of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

The AES claims that the ECOWAS is attempting to destabilise their newly formed organisation.

During a meeting last week in Abuja, Nigeria, the regional organisation announced a six-month withdrawal period to give the three nations time to change their minds after their official departure date at the end of January 2025.

However, this decision is “nothing more than yet another attempt by the French and its auxiliaries to continue planning and carrying out destabilising actions against the AES,” according to the heads of state of the AES.

“This unilateral decision is not binding on the ESA countries,” the statement continues. Before the conference, they stated that their choice to leave the organisation was “irreversible.”

According to the president of the Ecowas Commission, this will be a “transition period” that ends on “July 29, 2025” to “keep the doors of Ecowas open.”

The three nations accused the bloc of neglecting to assist them in resolving their domestic security challenges and of imposing “inhumane and irresponsible” sanctions related to the coup.

The three nations that were involved in the coup have mostly rejected ECOWAS’ attempts to undo their withdrawal. They are creating their alliance and have begun thinking about how to issue travel passports independently of ECOWAS.

It is anticipated that they will finish giving their one-year notice of departure in January.

Visa-free travel to other ECOWAS members is a significant perk of membership, and it is unclear how this would alter after the three nations exit the group.