Zimbabwe: Initial election results released August 1 indicate ZANU-PF victory /update 1

Event

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) released preliminary results of the parliamentary election on Wednesday, August 1. As of approximately 09:10 (local time), final vote tallies from 153 of 210 constituencies had been submitted, with the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZAN-PF) securing 110 seats and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) winning 41. The other two seats were won by the National Patriotic Front and an independent candidate. Final results are expected to be confirmed by the end of Wednesday.

As of 09:25 on Wednesday, the ZEC has not released any initial results for the presidential election. Nelson Chamisa, the MDC candidate, issued a statement on Wednesday continuing to claim that he had defeated incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa. MDC leaders have vowed to demonstrate against alleged voting irregularities if Mnangagwa is declared the winner. The election has been relatively peaceful to date, but the possibility exists for widespread protests and electoral violence when official results are released.

Context

After presidential and parliamentary elections on July 30, a presidential runoff election, if required, will be held on September 8. The elections are the first in Zimbabwe since Robert Mugabe stepped down as president in November 2017 after 37 years in power. According to the MDC, the ZEC refused to allow the party access to voter rolls and the name of the company that will print ballot papers. Opposition leaders have said the elections will not be credible if they do not know how many ballots are being printed and who is possession of them. Several pre-election MDC protests were banned by police officials.

Advice

Individuals in Zimbabwe, particularly in Harare, are advised to avoid large public gatherings, even those that seem peaceful, and monitor local developments.