Nelson Chamisa says he is awaiting Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to officially announce the election results.
Mr Chamisa said in a tweet: “Winning resoundingly…We now have results from the majority of the over 10 000 polling stations.
“We’ve done exceedingly well.
“Awaiting ZEC to perform their constitutional duty to officially announce the people’s election results and we are ready to form the next government.”
If he wins then it will be a democratic watershed for the south African country that will boot Robert Mugabe’s former party, ZANU–PF, out of office for the first time since Zimbabwe became independent.
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Mugabe was known as a hard-line nationalist, and led the country at a time when corruption and aggressive sanctioning towards Zimbabwe were commonplace.
Elections during Mugabe’s rule were marred by intimidation, rigging and widespread violence, and this year there are signs of change in the democratic process.
A general air of peace this year is thought to have been observed, and the European Union, United States and Commonwealth have sent observers for the first time since 2002.
Robert Mugabe claimed the vote would not be free under the current government.
This is because it is technically a military government after Mugabe was ousted in a de facto coup.
He was replaced by his former deputy, Emerson Mnangagwa, who was seen as powerless as he owed his mandate more on his military power than mass support.
Mnangagwa has failed to exercise absolute control as some government decisions were seen as emerging from the military.
But Mnangagwa has denied claims from Robert Mugabe that the vote would not be free under the current military government.
In a public statement following his vote, President Mnangagwa said: “I can assure you that this country is enjoying democratic space which has never been experienced before.”
Robert Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for 40 years.
Before he took office, the nation was known as the “breadbasket of Africa”.
But the socialist leader bankrupted the country, evicted farmers while using state money to fund a lavish lifestyle and trips abroad.
In 2016, Mugabe apparently made roughly 20 trips abroad, and government figures showed he spent a total of $36million (£27million) in the first 10 months.
He also oversaw the “Gukurahundi”, which was a series of massacres of Ndebele civilians carried out by the Zimbabwe National Army from early 1983 to late 1987.
In 2005, the International Association of Genocide Scholars estimated the death toll at 20,000.
Also in 2015, historical documents were released which claimed Mugabe orchestrated the killings for political gain.
More to follow…