Zimbabwe's top court has upheld the narrow and disputed election victory by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, clearing the way for his inauguration as the country remained deeply divided in the post-Robert Mugabe era.
Mnangagwa, a former Mugabe enforcer who has tried to restyle himself as a reformer, will be sworn in tomorrow. He appealed for calm and told opposition challenger Nelson Chamisa "my door is open and my arms are outstretched".
The opposition, wary after a deadly military crackdown on protests after the election, initially said it would respect yesterday's ruling but later issued an angry statement rejecting the decision and saying it entrenched "an illegitimate regime".
Zimbabwe's electoral commission had declared Mnangagwa the winner of the July 30 balloting with 50.8 per cent of the vote. It later revised it to 50.6 per cent, citing an "error" but arguing it was not significant enough to invalidate the win. It said Chamisa received 44.3 per cent.
The opposition alleged there was widespread vote-rigging, saying the electoral commission increased Mnangagwa's figures through double counts and the creation of "ghost" polling stations. In bringing its case to the Constitutional Court, it had sought a new vote or a declaration that Chamisa had won.
But in its unanimous ruling, which along with the lawyers' arguments in the case was broadcast live on state-run television, the court said the opposition failed to show "sufficient and credible evidence" to back up claims of irregularities. It said that the electoral commission had "debunked to some degree" those and other claims.
Security was tight in the capital, Harare, and streets remained calm. Some people celebrated outside the ruling ZANU-PF party headquarters. "I know you feel cheated, but take heart," Chamisa told his supporters on Twitter, vowing that the opposition would "rescue our beautiful Zimbabwe from the jaws of poverty, corruption & dishonesty".
Douglas Mwonzora, secretary-general of Chamisa's Movement for Democratic Change party, told reporters that "this is the end of the road" for legal challenges. "But we have other avenues. ... We can demonstrate," he added.
In a statement issued hours after the decision, the MDC said that in the coming days the opposition will announce a "vigorous program of action in response to this electoral theft of the century". "While we respect the court, we don't accept its manifestly unjust decision," the statement said.
"Specifically, we are going to show Mr. Mnangagwa and the world that the peaceful masses have rejected him," it added. "They will never accept him. Our constitution is our shield."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content