Zimbabwe: Army clears streets, election panel begs 'patience' to declare poll results

Harare: Soldiers and police cleared the streets of central Harare on Thursday a day after a deadly crackdown on protestors as the Zimbabwean authorities begged for patience over the release of the results from landmark presidential elections.

The vote, the first since autocrat Robert Mugabe was ousted last year, turned bloody on Wednesday when troops opened fire on demonstrations against alleged electoral fraud, leaving three dead and prompting an international outcry.

The Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) pleaded with the public to give it time to collate the results, vowing to release them before Saturday.

"ZEC implores the public to be patient as we collate the final results," said ZEC commissioner Qhubani Moyo.

"Let me not give a specific time whether today or tomorrow, but there is significant progress that is happening."

The government accused the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition party of inciting the unrest and vowed to enforce a security clampdown.

But President Emmerson Mnangagwa said he wanted an independent investigation into the killings, and that he sought to settle differences "peacefully".

On Thursday, soldiers were on guard outside the headquarters of the ruling ZANU-PF party, while armoured personnel carriers, water cannon trucks and police anti-riot vans took position outside the MDC headquarters.

Soldiers brandishing assault rifles and police shouted at pedestrians and traders to leave central Harare, AFP witnessed.

"I wasn't sure whether it's safe to come to work. We had to consult among ourselves," said one worker who declined to give his name.

In a late-night press conference on Wednesday, Home Affairs Minister Obert Mpofu warned further protests would not be tolerated.

"The opposition... are testing our resolve and I think they are making a big mistake," he said.

The MDC said the army had opened fire "for no apparent reason," killing unarmed civilians.

The presidential election race has pitted 75-year-old Mnangagwa, Mugabe's former ally in ZANU-PF, against the MDC's leader, Nelson Chamisa, 35 years his junior.

A rigged count?

In official results from the parliamentary election, also held on Monday, ZANU-PF won easily, suggesting Mnangagwa would be on course to retain the presidency.

But the MDC has said it won the elections outright and accused the government and ZEC of rigging the count.

The elections had been meant to turn the page on years of violence-marred elections and brutal repression of dissent after Mugabe's 37-year rule was ended by a brief military takeover in November.

The mood spiraled into anger as MDC supporters rallied in the city on Wednesday, chanting against the government and burning tyres in the streets.

"It's disappointing, the government’s reaction only made things worse. It was heavy-handed," trader Timie Manuwere, 37, told AFP.

"But I didn't expect things to really change much with the elections. It was highly unlikely these guys would just give up power after eight months."

Mnangagwa had promised a free and fair vote after the military ushered him to power when Mugabe was forced to resign.

A credible and peaceful vote was meant to end Zimbabwe's international isolation and attract foreign investment to revive the shattered economy.

Election observers from the Commonwealth issued a statement Thursday to "denounce the excessive use of force against unarmed civilians."

Before the violence, European Union observers declared they found an "un-level playing field and lack of trust" in the election process. It called for transparency in the release of results.

History of election violence

The UN and former colonial power Britain expressed concern over the violence and urged restraint.

Under Mugabe, elections were often marred by fraud and deadly violence.

Of 210 parliamentary seats, 207 have been counted with ZANU-PF winning 144 and the MDC Alliance just 61.

Chamisa said the results were fraudulent.

"We have won this one together. No amount of results manipulation will alter your will," he tweeted before the army was deployed on Wednesday.

ZEC chairwoman Priscilla Chigumba, a high court judge, has flatly denied allegations of bias and rejected accusations of rigging.

Mugabe, 94, voted in Harare on Monday alongside his wife Grace after he stunned observers by calling for voters to reject ZANU-PF, his former party.

Mnangagwa was the clear election front-runner, benefitting from tacit military support and state resources. But Chamisa, a lawyer and pastor, sought to tap into the youth and urban vote.

Mnangagwa was allegedly involved in violence and intimidation during the 2008 elections when then opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of the run-off after attacks claimed the lives of at least 200 of his supporters.

If no presidential candidate wins at least 50 percent of the ballots cast in the first round, a run-off is scheduled for September 8.