Zimbabwe Renewal Hopes Dashed as Vote Dispute Sparks Mayhem
- Three die after soldiers open fire on opposition protesters
- Observers highlight litany of flaws in electoral process
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Just days after the election that was supposed to underpin a political and economic revival in Zimbabwe, things have gone horribly wrong.
As results emerged from the cavernous Harare International Conference Centre Wednesday showing the ruling party extending its 38-year grip on power, hundreds of opposition supporters clad in red party T-shirts trashed the streets of the capital outside, barricaded roads with rocks and set two vehicles alight. Riot police moved in with batons, tear gas and water cannons, followed by scores of army troops bearing assault rifles.