On July 30, general elections were held in the Republic of Zimbabwe in which citizens voted for presidential nominees, MPs and local government officials. Twenty three candidates competed for the position of head of state, including current President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Twenty two political parties took part in the elections. Voter turnout exceeded 75 percent.

Many international observers from the African Union, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the European Union and other associations and countries were present during the elections. The overwhelming opinion was that the voting took place in a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

However, as early as on August 1, supporters of the opposition, dissatisfied with the preliminary election results, staged massive riots in the country’s capital of Harare, provoking clashes with the police, in which people were killed and wounded.

President Mnangagwa placed responsibility for the disorder squarely on the leaders of the opposition alliance Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) that recently made a number of irresponsible statements and appeals.

Moscow is concerned over the provocative actions of the opposition in Zimbabwe which led to the loss of life. We are urging all political actors to display social responsibility and take a constructive position with a view to completing all election procedures in line with the constitution and laws of Zimbabwe.

We consider Zimbabwe a friendly state with which Russia has traditionally maintained a closed partnership. We hope the results of the general elections in that country will help the Zimbabwean people continue down the path of stable and democratic development.