3 people killed as riots shake capital of Zimbabwe after election results are delayed
Much of Harare is shut down by protests against a presidential election ‘rigged’ by the ruling party
Zimbabwe police said three people were killed in Harare on Wednesday as soldiers dispersed stone-throwing opposition supporters who accused the ruling party of trying to rig Monday’s presidential election.
The deployment of soldiers and their beating of unarmed protesters set back President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s efforts to shed Zimbabwe’s pariah status after decades of repression under Robert Mugabe, who was ousted in a coup in November.
Even before the violence, EU observers questioned the conduct of the presidential and parliamentary vote, the first since Mugabe’s forced resignation after nearly 40 years in charge of the southern African nation.
Police fired water cannon and tear gas in an attempt to disperse the protesters, as military helicopters flew overhead. The clashes took place outside the headquarters of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which opposition supporters say is biased.
There has been growing impatience at delays to the release of results in Monday’s historic vote, the first since Mugabe’s ouster.
“We support [opposition leader Nelson] Chamisa and we want him to be our president. The electoral commission is not fair. Our election is being stolen,” said a 19-year-old student who was among the protesters.