Zimbabwe President Mnangagwa hails ‘mature democracy’ after re-election

Zimbabweans voted Wednesday and Thursday for president and parliament in polling marred by delays.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Sunday called Zimbabwe a “mature democracy” after winning a second term in office despite the opposition rejecting the result of a vote that international observers said fell short of democratic standards. Mnangagwa, 80, won 52.6% of the ballots against 44% for his main challenger, Nelson Chamisa, 45, according to official results announced late Saturday by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).

We have demonstrated that we are a mature democracy,” the president said, praising a high turnout. “We take pride in the fact that we are an independent and sovereign nation.”

Zimbabweans voted Wednesday and Thursday for president and parliament in polling marred by delays that sparked opposition accusations of rigging and voter suppression.

Promise Mkwananzi, a spokesman for Chamisa’s Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), said the party did not sign the final tally, which he described as “false“.

“We cannot accept the results,” he told AFP, saying the party would soon announce its next move.

The vote has been watched across southern Africa as a test of support for Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF party, whose 43-year rule has been accompanied by a moribund economy and charges of authoritarianism.