In their own press conference a Zanu-PF spokesperson said they would congratulate Chamisa in the highly unlikely event that he won, laughing at the prospect in the televised briefing. The ruling party blamed the opposition for violence, after an MDC march challenging the electoral commission turned violent, leaving six people dead in the opposition’s stronghold of Harare.

In the days before the result was announced, the capital was tense. Chamisa said police raided is party headquarters, while police ensured that the city center was nearly empty. The military, credited with removing Mugabe, made their presence felt. With reports circulating on social media that the military and police squads were deployed in suburbs to quell any potential uprisings, central Harare resembled a deserted wartime city.

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