Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) declared Zanu PF incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa the winner in the recent elections with 52.6 percent of the vote.

According to AP, An opposition party spokesperson said within minutes of Mnangagwa being declared the winner that they would reject the results as "hastily assembled without proper verification.”

Mnangagwa's victory meant the ZANU-PF party retained the governmental leadership it has held for all 43 years of Zimbabwe's history since the nation was re-named following independence from white minority rule in 1980.

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Zimbabwe has had just two leaders in that time, Robert Mugabe and Mnangagwa.

The 80-year-old Mnangagwa won 52.6% of the votes in the midweek election, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said in a late-night announcement in the capital, Harare. The 45-year-old main opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, got 44%, the commission said.

The results were released around 11.30 p.m., about 48 hours after polls closed.