Zimbabwe's re-elected President Emmerson Mnangagwa recommended that anyone contesting the results of last week's election take their case to court.

According to the electoral commission on Saturday, 80 Mnangagwa received 52.6% of the vote, while opposition Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa received 44%.

PHOTO | COURTESY Emmerson Mnangagwa

Chamisa stated on Sunday that the CCC will not accept the outcome, calling it a "gigantic fraud,"

Did you read this?

  1. Zimbabwe Opposition To Challenge 'Sham' Vote Results
  2. Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa Swears Son, Nephew Into Government
  3. Zimbabwe's President Appoints Son As Deputy Finance Minister

He stated that the opposition would form the new administration but did not elaborate. He did not respond to inquiries about whether his party would contest the results in court.

"We are not going to wait five years." "A change has to happen now," Chamisa told journalists and party leaders.

Two groups of observers said police stormed their data centers and arrested personnel and volunteers, making it impossible for them to check the findings independently.

PHOTO | COURTESY Emmerson Mnangagwa

According to the Election Resource Centre and the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, this "casts a shadow over the entire election process." The police department did not respond promptly.

Observers from the SADC regional group and the African Union also criticized the electoral process.

According to analysts and observers, the election was substantially biased in favor of the ruling ZANU-PF party, which has been in power for more than four decades. ZANU-PF denies having an unfair advantage or attempting to influence election results by rigging.

Chamisa remarked on the election on the social networking platform X, formerly Twitter, "It's a blatant and gigantic fraud."

PHOTO | COURTESY Chamisa

He stated that he was relying on diplomatic pressure on the government.

"Do not abandon us, especially our brothers and sisters in the region and on the continent," he said. "We rely on your support as we work to resolve this political crisis."

Mnangagwa was elected president for the first time in 2017 after longstanding strongman Robert Mugabe was deposed in a military coup following 37 years in office. Hyperinflation, currency shortages, and unemployment marred Mnangagwa's first administration.