Johnathan Paoli with additional reporting from the Associated Press.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa was re-elected for a second and final term Saturday.
Mnangagwa won 52.6% of the vote, the Zimbabwe Election Commission said at a late-night announcement in the capital, Harare.
Main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa won 44% of the vote.
The result will likely be scrutinized after election observers raised questions over the election environment in the buildup to the vote and pointed to an atmosphere of intimidation against Chamisa’s supporters.
The election was due to be held on just one day, last Wednesday, but voting was extended to Thursday after delays and problems with the printing of ballot papers.
On Saturday, a media briefing held by the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) on updates concerning alleged misconduct and irregularities at voting stations in Harare was interrupted, as three unidentified men harassed and attempted to arrest party spokesperson, Promise Mkwananzi.
Mkwananzi was updating the media at the SAPES Trust offices in Milton Park, Harare, and informed them about alleged attacks on its members across the country after the Harmonised General Elections on 23 August 2023.
The men approached the podium, grabbed the spokesperson’s papers and attempted to drag him to their vehicles, before being encircled by journalists and others who demanded they identify themselves.
Following the incident, the Zimbabwean Republican Police issued a statement in which they said Mkwananzi was sought in connection with a warrant of arrest issued by the Harare Magistrate Court on 22 April 2020 for defaulting court proceedings.
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