Zimbabwe court rules in favor of Mnangagwa’s victory

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Supporters of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa celebrate his court victory in Harare Friday. Associated Press/Photo by Wonder Mashura

Zimbabwe court rules in favor of Mnangagwa’s victory

Zimbabwe’s constitutional court on Friday upheld incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s victory in the country’s July presidential election. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change party had called for the court to annul the results on grounds of vote-rigging. The court ruled that the MDC failed to produce “sufficient and credible evidence.”

The electoral commission said Mnangagwa won with 50.8 percent of the vote, while the MDC’s Nelson Chamisa received 44.3 percent. Mnangagwa will be sworn in as president on Sunday.

MDC Secretary-General Douglas Mwonzora said the ruling marks the end of its legal battle, but “We have other avenues. … We can demonstrate.” Following the court’s decision, Mnangagwa called for peace in the country, tweeting, “Let us now put our differences behind us. It is time to move forward together.”

The ruling ZANU-PF party also secured 109 seats in the 210-member House of Assembly.

Onize Ohikere

Onize is WORLD’s Africa reporter and deputy global desk chief. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate and earned a journalism degree from Minnesota State University–Moorhead. Onize resides in Abuja, Nigeria.

@onize_ohiks