Zimbabwe's president declared election winner, opposition rejects result

FILE PHOTO: Supporters of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's ruling ZANU-PF party attend the party's last rally in Shurugwi, located in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe, August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

HARARE (Reuters) -Zimbabwe's elections commission said late on Saturday that incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa had won this week's presidential election with roughly 53% of the vote, but the opposition and analysts immediately questioned the result.

Mnangagwa, who took over from longtime leader Robert Mugabe after a 2017 army coup, was widely expected to secure re-election for a second term as analysts said the contest was heavily skewed in favour of the ZANU-PF ruling party, which has been in power for more than four decades.