Emmerson Mnangagwa has promised to give Zimbabweans a better life after he was sworn in as the country’s president for a second term following a vote that the opposition has claimed was stolen.
“The lives of our people should be improved, nothing less,” Mnangagwa told thousands of supporters at the National Sports stadium in Harare, and called for peace and tolerance from political opponents.
Mnangagwa, 80, was declared the winner over his closest rival, Nelson Chamisa, with 52.6% of the vote in an election described by observers as having fallen short of regional standards. The European Union Observer mission, which monitors election proceedings around the world, said the election happened in a climate of “fear”.
The opposition complained of widespread voter intimidation and suppression in its strongholds after the electoral commission failed to deploy materials on time, but Chamisa, a 45-year-old pastor and lawyer, has decided not to contest Mnangagwa’s victory in court despite describing the election as a “gigantic fraud”.
In a statement posted to social media after the ceremony, he said: “Thank you, Africa and the world, for standing with us Zimbabweans in dismissing fraud and stolen elections. Together, we will reverse this sham and have a legitimate government freely elected and enjoying the full will of all the people of Zimbabwe! It’s not over!”
Last month’s election was the second time the two had faced each other in a poll since the fall of Robert Mugabe, who was removed by the military in 2017.
Only three sitting presidents from the southern African region attended the ceremony: Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s president, Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Filipe Nyusi, president of Mozambique. Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia chose to stay away.
Mnangagwa also promised development for his rural support base in his speech while offering better living conditions for urban dwellers. “My new government will deliver on the promises made. Zimbabwe is surely on the rise,” he said.
His supporters from across the country sang and danced to popular songs after he took his oath of office in front of Luke Malaba, the chief justice. Mugabe’s widow, Grace, made her first public appearance since 2019 and was greeted to wild cheers from the crowd.
A jubilant supporter who travelled overnight for the inauguration ceremony said life would be better under Mnangagwa. “We support the president. That is why we gave him another term. He has the people at heart,” said Samson Chireya from Honde valley, more than 200km east of the capital, Harare.
Promise Mazeyanyika, from Mutare said: “We hope the decision we made to give Mnangagwa a second chance will not come back to haunt us. All we need is a better life.”
Mnangagwa’s was re-elected as decades of economic turmoil dragged on and runaway inflation returned. He has been accused of failing to turn around the country’s economic misfortune after promising to tackle the economy “head on”.
Foreign investment has dipped under his administration, and the only funds coming into the country since 2018 have been with Chinese lithium capital. “I call upon investors to pour funds into the country,” Mnangagwa said, promising conducive economic conditions for investors.
Mnangagwa said the country’s crippling power cuts would be a thing of the past, promising to support the manufacturing and mining sectors.