HARARE, Zimbabwe _ Zimbabwe's capital descended into chaos Wednesday as hundreds of opposition supporters protested over the results of this week's elections, with soldiers firing live rounds and tear gas to disperse them.
The demonstrations were concentrated around the Harare International Conference Centre, where the election tallies are being collated and announced. The main gate was sealed off by two water cannons backed up by scores of riot police, carrying shields and batons. The protesters used rocks and tree branches to barricade roads, and upended trash cans. Police sirens could be heard across the city center.
Three news photographers said they'd seen people being shot with live rounds and displayed the pictures on their cameras. Armed personnel carriers mounted with water cannons drove through the streets of the city, and a military helicopter circled overhead. Later in the afternoon, about 30 troops walked the streets surrounding the convention center, clearing away rocks and other debris.
"These are hooligans, these are not Zimbabweans," student Tedious Merino, 28, said of the protesters during a lull in the clashes. "Zimbabweans are not known for acting this way."
The army's presence on the streets is to ensure law and order is maintained, not to intimidate people, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi told eNCA, a Johannesburg-based broadcaster.
While the election campaign and Monday's balloting was largely peaceful, opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Nelson Chamisa alleged there's been an attempt to rig the outcome in favor President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose ruling party has won a majority in the parliamentary vote. The MDC has also questioned the pace of releasing tallies from the presidential vote, which haven't been announced yet.
The vote was the first since the ruling party forced Robert Mugabe to quit as president after 37 years in office after the military briefly seized control of the country.
"Violence is never acceptable," Fadzai Mahere, an independent parliamentary candidate and lawyer who lost her bid for a seat in Harare, said in a Twitter posting. "However, law enforcement is the role of the police force in terms of the constitution. It is unbelievable that, on day one, before the sun has set, they'd unleash the army on civilians."
