Tensions are rising in Zimbabwe as opposition fears intensify that the election count will be rigged, monitors warn of possible violence if the results are contested and authorities brace for protests. Millions of people voted peacefully on Monday in the first election since the army removed Robert Mugabe from power last year. Long queues of voters formed outside polling stations and turnout was recorded at 75%. The opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, said early on Tuesday that he was “winning resoundingly”, a claim repeated by senior officials over the course of the day. His supporters gathered at their party’s headquarters in the capital during the afternoon, celebrating victory despite the lack of official results.
Supporters danced to music blaring from speakers mounted on a truck in the street outside the offices of the Movement for Democratic Change, which said it conducted its own count.
Samson Muneptsi, 35, a technician and volunteer polling agent for the MDC, said: “We have won easily and totally. We are just waiting for the announcement.
“We will never accept losing this election. We will protect our votes. We will protest.”
Full Article: Zimbabwe election: tensions rise amid vote rigging fears | World news | The Guardian.