Opposition Leader Accuses Zimbabwe’s President of Vote Rigging and Voter Suppression

In Zimbabwe, results from Wednesday’s nationwide elections have started to trickle in, with parliamentary races putting the ruling ZANU-PF party and its main challenger neck and neck. Hordes of armed police with water cannons have been deployed to the national results center. Results of the presidential election have not yet been announced. The race pits incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa against opposition leader Nelson Chamisa for the second time, after Mnangagwa held onto power in 2018 in elections the opposition accused of being rigged. Chamisa has already accused his opponent of attempting to steal this election. Mnangagwa came to power in 2017 after leading a coup that ousted Robert Mugabe. Widespread delays during voting forced polls to stay open for a second day. Police on Thursday raided and arrested 41 local election monitors, prompting condemnation and accusations of interference by the ruling party. This is a voter in the capital Harare.

Fortune Sikireta: “Ballot papers are supposed to be at polling stations 48 hours before the election starts. And come the election day, there is no ballot papers. We have to wait here for 12 hours, and there are no ballot papers.”