Zimbabwe Holds First Election Without Mugabwe in 37 Years with Contested Results

Zimbabwe held their first election in 37 years without the ever-present Robert Mugabwe, who was ousted in a coup last year by the same man who now is claiming victory, Emmerson Mnangagwa. The purported winner was also one of Mugabwe's closest associates in a party that has been known for rigging elections over the years. Poll observers from various countries reported numerous incidents of vote tampering, and there were 6 deaths among the protesters. But in a country that has had rigged elections for decades, it's widely believed that it was as free and fair as you can expect in Zimbabwe.

Now comes the hard part where more affluent western countries need to be convinced that the results are valid. Zimbabwe is in desperate need of assistance from the US & other countries. They had been ostracized for years ever since Mugabwe confiscated farms owned by whites, and redistributed the land to blacks.

The New York TImes brings some more perspective to the story.

Harare, Zimbabwe