Zanu-PF won the vote of the National Assembly – El Ciudadano

The Zimbabwean government warned the candidates for the election on Tuesday that they faced a trial and prison for announcing prematurely results of historical surveys after the main opposition party of the MDC said it had won.

"As a government we have noted with concern the actions and conduct of some political party leaders … who openly declare that they will announce results regardless of the provisions of the law," Interior Minister Obert Mpofu said in a statement. press conference in Harare. "I'm sure nobody wants to provoke the wrath of the law and runs the risk of being sent to jail."

Below is the second update of the election results.

Zimbabwe's opposition MDC party on Tuesday claimed victory in the country's historic elections as the government threatened to imprison the leaders by announcing results while the wait for official counts was prolonged.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the information on the "terrain is extremely positive" on his prospects of victory in Zimbabwe's first election since former leader Robert Mugabe was deposed in November after 37 years in power.

Their competing claims raise the possibility of accusations of fraud and a possible second round in September, a requirement if no candidate wins at least 50 percent of the ballots in the first round.

Veteran MDC veteran Tendai Biti had previously said the party would release its own results if the vote was not in favor of Chamisa.

It is a The ZEC had previously warned that the results of the first presidential round would not be known until Friday or even Saturday and would not be announced until the results of the polls were issued before the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. counts of all 10,985 polling stations were received.

"We are not close to where we expected to be, so I can see us entering the fifth day allowed by law, but we are working at full speed," ZEC President Priscilla Chigumba told a news conference in Harare.

On Wednesday the attention will be shifted to the electoral monitoring team of the European Union that will issue a very advanced report on the conduct of the surveys and the counting process.

His findings are also an important verdict on Mnangagwa, 75, who has put his reputation on credible polls since he took office last year.

"There are flaws that we have to verify, we still do not know if it was a pattern," EU chief observer Elmar Brok said during Monday's vote.

Observers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union will also provide reports on the ballot boxes.

& # 39; Delayed deliberation & # 39;

Biti had previously accused the ZEC of deliberately delaying the publication of the results to help ZANU-PF.

"The results demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that we won the election and that the next president of Zimbabwe is Nelson Chamisa," Biti told a news conference at the party headquarters in Harare on Tuesday.

Outside, MDC supporters danced jubilantly on the street brandishing "Vote Nelson Chamisa" posters while four water cannons and police personnel carriers patrolled nearby.

There were no reports of clashes in stark contrast to the elections under the authoritarian Mugabe who were mired in violence, although the police called to encourage moderation among their supporters.

"However, we are seriously concerned about the evidence of interference … there is a deliberate delay in announcing the results, which is totally unacceptable," Biti added.

The president of the ZEC, Chigumba, openly denied the accusations of partiality and accused strongly of fraud.

Analysts have said that it was not clear if the country's generals expelled Mugabe and introduced Mnangagwa in Office, he would accept an MDC victory.

Military intervention?

The defeat of the ruling party is likely to lead to "a denunciation of the election by the Mnangagwa administration and the possibility that the military intervene" to ensure power for ZANU-PF, "said the risk consultant BMI based in London.

"There is no way for ZANU-PF to accept an MDC victory. We know that people will be hit, especially in rural areas, as they were before, "said Harare worker Tracy Kubara, 26.

If necessary, 5.6 million registered voters in Zimbabwe would be asked to return. to the polls to vote in a presidential run-off on September 8.

Mugabe, 94, voted in Harare with his wife Grace, which followed a surprise press conference at his house on Sunday in which he astonished the Observers and asked voters to reject ZANU-PF, their previous party.

Mnangagwa, Mugabe's former right-hand man at ZANU-PF, was the clear choice Frontline, benefiting from tacit military support, loyal state media and control of the governing party of the government's resources.

But Chamisa, 40, a lawyer and pastor who worked hard in the campaign, sought to take advantage of the youth and urban vote.

High turnout about 75 percent before the polls closed on Monday night could favor Chamisa.

He has repeatedly accused ZANU-PF and the electoral authorities of attempting to settle the outcome through defective voter registration, electoral malpractice and voter intimidation.

Whoever wins will face a massive crisis of unemployment and an economy shattered by the takeover of white property in the Mugabe era, the collapse of agriculture, hyperinflation and an exodus of investment.

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Anxious wait for results

"I'm afraid, will there be riots?" Stone Sibanda, a 39-year-old taxi driver from Harare, told Stone. AFP. "It's a very sensitive moment, everyone is anxious."

The estimated turnout was around 75 percent before the polls closed on Monday night after a day of peaceful voting.

Preliminary results of the presidential, parliamentary and local elections are expected on Tuesday and the full results are for Saturday.

At a polling station in the capital, Harare, officials counted large quantities of ballots using gas lanterns and candles until late on Monday night.

If necessary, 5.6 million registered voters in Zimbabwe would be asked to return to the polls to vote in a presidential runoff on September 8.

The highly criticized electoral authority of Zimbabwe declared on Tuesday that the vote had not been tampered with, although the tally had not yet been completed.

"We are absolutely sure that there was no manipulation … we in the Electoral Commission of Zimbabwe will not steal (the election of the people) from the leaders, we will not subvert their will", said the president of ZEC, Priscilla Chigumba.

Mugarga, 94, whose authoritarian regime held power through violent and plague-riddled elections, voted in Harare with his wife Grace after a surprise press conference at his home on Sunday. call for voters to reject ZANU-PF, their former party.

The EU cites & # 39; deficiencies & # 39;

European Union election observers who were once banned, present for the first time in years, said participation seemed high but warned of possible problems in the voting process.

"There are flaws that we must verify". We still do not know if it was a pattern, "EU chief observer Elmar Brok told AFP on Monday.

The bloc will present a preliminary report on the conduct of the elections on Wednesday, as will the Development Community of the EU. Southern Africa (SADC) and the African Union teams.

Mnangagwa, Mugabe's former right-hand man at ZANU-PF, was the clear favorite in the elections, benefiting from tacit military support, loyal state media and government controls. government on the resources of the government 19659002] But Chamisa, 40, a lawyer and pastor who had a great performance in the electoral campaign, sought to take advantage of the youth and urban vote.

He has repeatedly accused the ZANU-PF and the electoral authorities of trying to fix the outcome through faulty electoral banking, electoral malpractice and voter intimidation.

The new government must face massive unemployment and an economy torn apart by to take of farms owned by whites under Mugabe, the collapse of agriculture, hyperinflation and an investment Exodus.

Previously sound health and education services are in ruins and millions have fled abroad to look for work.

Both candidates had promised to clean up the government and attract foreign investment to create jobs after the isolation and systematic corruption of the Mugabe Era.

In 2008, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the presidential runoff against Mugabe after attacks orchestrated by the state claimed the lives of at least 200 of his followers.

– AFP

Formerly

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) announced on Tuesday that it is completing the tally of all ballots and will continue to announce election winners during the week.

The vote count was still ongoing in some areas, while the verification process continued in other areas, the electoral body said.

He began his first press conference to announce the first round of circumscription winners shortly after 4.30 p.m., one denouncing the results of seven members of parliament. Six of the seats were for Zanu-PF, with only one for the MDC-Alliance.

The winner of the presidency will only be announced once all levels of government have been counted. The ZEC has said that it hopes that this will only be completed on Friday or Saturday at the latest.

Watch a video of the announcements below, courtesy of SABC:

The announcements are expected to continue for some time, since the winners of the constituencies are announced first.

Many commentators have interpreted the eagerness to begin the announcements as a signal that Zanu-PF may have won the presidency, although the leader of the Alliance with the MDC, Nelson Chamisa, has maintained the confidence. 19659002] His party was already preparing a judicial challenge to publish the results in order to avoid the wait of weeks that took place in 2008 when the MDC won, but with suspiciously insufficient voting to avoid a second round. [19659002] Julius Malema has predicted that the winner of the presidential bank has received 53% of the votes and that it would be Emmerson Mnangagwa, in favor of preserving the "status quo".