Zimbabwe’s 2023 election results have not been nullified

This article is more than one year old.
Published on September 6, 2023 at 15:32
2 min read
By James OKONG'O, AFP Kenya

After observer mission teams found that Zimbabwe’s August 2023 polls did not meet regional and international standards for credibility, reports emerged that the results had been nullified and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) would call for fresh elections. But this is false: the results have not been nullified and Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as president for a second term on September 4. The SADC also told AFP Fact Check the claims shared in online posts were "false".

"# Zimbabwe Elections null and void (sic)," reads a post shared more than 400 times and received over 7,000 likes since it was published on Facebook on August 29, 2023.

Screenshot showing the false post, taken on September 5, 2023

The account regularly shares content promoting Zimbabwe's opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).

The post contains a video where a man can be heard speaking in Shona, one of the country’s official languages. The narrator reiterated the claim that the SADC had invalidated the results of Zimbabwe’s 2023 polls.

"The leaders of SADC have nullified the criminality and theft of election," said the unidentified voice in the video.

The SADC is a regional economic block bringing together 16 African countries (archived here).

The narrator said the election cancellation came after the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) had made a "mockery" of the polls. The opposition CCC has accused (archived here) the broadcaster of biased reporting that favoured the ruling ZANU-PF.

The video also alleged that Tanzanian former president Jakaya Kikwete had been charged with the task of setting up fresh polls and that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) would not preside over these.

A similar claim was also published on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Mnangagwa, 80, won a second term with 52.6 percent of the ballots against 44 percent for his main challenger, the CCC's Nelson Chamisa, according to official results (archived here) released by the ZEC on August 26.

Foreign poll observers said that Zimbabwe's 2023 presidential and legislative elections failed to conform to regional and international standards, casting doubt on the credibility of the vote.

But Zimbabwe’s 2023 election results were not nullified.

Polls not annuled

There have been no announcements about a poll annulment by any official body.

The SADC – the regional bloc mentioned in the claim – told AFP Fact Check that it was not aware of any vote nullification or repeat polls in Zimbabwe.

"Our officer statements are shared on our website www.sadc.int and our official online platforms. Hence the claims you saw are false," SADC spokeswoman Barbara Lopi said.

Zimbabweans went to the ballot box on August 23 and 24 in polling marred by delays. The vote took place against a backdrop of discontent at the country’s economic crisis.

Mnangagwa was sworn in as president for a new five-year term on September 4.

President Mnangagwa (centre) inspect a guard of honour after being sworn in in Harare Zimbabwe (AFP photo) ( AFP / ZINYANGE AUNTONY)

The SADC observation team in Zimbabwe had cited problems with the polls, saying that it did not meet principles and guidelines governing the conduct of democratic elections (archived here).

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