The South African government has congratulated Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa on the election victory last weekend, as others criticise the election results.
Zimbabwe held its Presidential election, which has been globally tagged ‘controversial’ over the weekend.
President Cyril Ramaphosa sent his congratulatory message to Mnangagwa in a statement released on Monday about the election, which the opposition party has called a “fraud”.
He said South Africa was conscious that the Zimbabwe election took place in a difficult economic environment due to the economic sanctions against the African state.
The SA presidency also acknowledged concerns raised by independent observers about the legitimacy of the election result.
South Africa, China, and Russia are key trade partners of the Mnangagwa-led country, and their backing of the Zimbabwe election result is vital moving forward.
This is coming amidst growing criticism of the polls from other countries, including the United States, and may lead to Western isolation and economic sanctions.
The congratulatory messages to Zimbabwean President Mnangagwa reflect an indication that its main allies have accepted the results.
The US added its voice to growing criticism of last week’s general election, which the opposition described as a “fraud”.
The US government affirmed that there was systemic bias against the opposition and also cited credible reports indicating that monitors were forced to falsify some election result forms.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has however, rejected the claims.
According to monitors present at the Zimbabwe election, the polls failed to meet international standards and the requirements of the country’s constitution.
The opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), is still collating its own results before making a decision on its next course of action.
CCC, has outrightly rejected the vote results of the 2023 presidential polls announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, ZEC, late Saturday night.
It also claimed that the electoral commission attempted to falsify the election results in order to favour Zimbabwe President Mnangagwa of the ruling party, Zanu PF.
In an official statement signed by the party Spokesperson Promise Mkhwananzi and released on X (formerly Twitter), the party said it would not be buying into the declared results of the polls, describing it as “hastily assembled” and “without proper verification.”
“We reject any result hastily assembled without proper verification, NOT lectureship. We will advise citizens on the next steps as the situation develops. We will not relent on the people’s victory!” The statement read.