Members of Zimbabwe's defeated opposition party appeared in court Saturday on violence charges, a day after President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared winner of the historic first elections following the downfall of Robert Mugabe. Mnangagwa, a former Mugabe ally, has called for unity after presidential rival Nelson Chamisa rejected the results, insisting he was the real winner of an election marred by a deadly crackdown on opposition supporters.
At least six people died after troops in the capital Harare opened fire on demonstrators Wednesday, sparking an international outcry and raising grim memories of post-election violence under Mugabe's repressive rule. Mnangagwa has accused Chamisa's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) of fomenting the unrest, but said he would set up an independent commission to investigate the killings. The 24 opposition members appearing in court were charged with "public violence" during the protests, accused of smashing windows at offices of the ruling ZANU-PF party and setting fire to vehicles.
They were remanded in custody until a bail hearing on Monday. Defence lawyer Denford Halimani said the 16 men and eight women had been caught up in an "opportunistic dragnet" against the opposition. Mnangagwa has insisted that Monday's landmark election was "free, fair and credible", hailing the vote as a fresh start as he pushes for an end to Zimbabwe's international isolation.
International observers praised the peaceful conduct of the vote, though EU monitors said Mnangagwa enjoyed an "un-level playing field" including heavy state media coverage. Mnangagwa won 50.8 percent against Chamisa's 44.3 percent, according to official results - just enough to avoid a presidential run-off. Chamisa, a 40-year-old pastor and lawyer, has urged his supporters to refrain from violence as he prepares to challenge the results in court. "We won but they declared the opposite. You voted but they cheated," he said on Twitter on Saturday. Mnangagwa, 75, has said Chamisa is free to mount a legal challenge, though such a move appears to have little chance of changing the result.
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