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Zimbabwe opposition leader Chamisa claims he won poll

A Zimbabwean soldier beats a man in a street of Harare on August 1, 2018 as protests erupted over alleged fraud in the country's election.

A Zimbabwean soldier beats a man in a street of Harare on August 1, 2018 as protests erupted over alleged fraud in the country's election.   | Photo Credit: AFP

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Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa claimed victory in Zimbabwe’s disputed presidential election on Thursday as an anxious nation awaited an official announcement of the result three days after voting.

Mr. Chamisa said President Emmerson Mnangagwa knew he had lost otherwise the results would have been announced by now.

International observers urged the electoral commission to release results as soon as possible to avoid further violence after three people were killed on Wednesday in clashes between security forces and opposition supporters.

The commission said it would start announcing the results of the presidential election — Zimbabwe's first since the army ousted Robert Mugabe last November to end four decades of his rule — from 10 p.m. local time.

Earlier on Thursday, police sealed off the headquarters of Chamisa’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and troops cleared the streets of the capital, despite calls from foreign governments and international organisations for calm .