BREAKING: Zimbabwe court upholds President Mnangagwa's election victory

macfranc007 August 25, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Tunde Ososanya

- A constitutional court in Zambabwe has upheld the election victory of President Emmerson Mnangagwa

- The victory was upheld by the court on Friday, August 24

- Mnangagwa emerged victorious in the July 30 presidential election

The outcome of the Zimbabwe's presidential election of July 2018 where President Emmerson Mnangagwa emerged winner, has been upheld by Zimbabwe's constitutional court.

The court on Friday, August, 24, dismissed the main opposition party's challenge that the July election was rigged.

BBC reports that the opposition MDC Alliance challenged the election outcome, saying the vote was marred by "mammoth theft and fraud", but this was rejected by the court.

NAIJ.com gathers that the streets around the courthouse in the capital, Harare, were cordoned off by security forces ahead of the ruling.

According to Times Lives, which said the application was dismissed with costs, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) was accused by opposition leader Nelson Chamisa's lawyer of inflating Mnangagwa’s vote tally by 69,000 to avoid a runoff.

The lawyer stated that the ZEC’s revision of the results was sufficient evidence that fraud occurred.

However, the court ruled that the opposition presented no proof of irregularities.

Reacting to the verdict in a tweet, Mnangagwa stated that he was "not surprised" by the constitutional court's ruling.

He tweeted: "We were not surprised by the court’s decision. The election results were firmly in line with all the pre-election polling, and were entirely consistent with the final tally of ZESN, the largest body of independent observers.

"I once again reiterate my call for peace and unity above all. Nelson Chamisa, my door is open and my arms are outstretched, we are one nation, and we must put our nation first. Let us all now put our differences behind us. It is time to move forward together."

See tweets below:

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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) announced in the capital, Harare, early on Friday, August 3, that incumbent president Emmerson Mnangagwa won Zimbabwe's presidential election.

Mnangagwa, of the ruling ZANU-PF party, won 50.8% of the votes cast, with his closest rival Nelson Chamisa, of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance, garnering 44.3%.

A candidate needed more than 50% of the votes to secure an outright victory in Monday, July 30 poll.

The Next President of Nigeria. Who Will Win the 2019 Elections? | on NAIJ.com TV