In a telephone call to Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asked him to ensure that his country’s security forces “show maximum restraint” following post election violence.

The UN chief also advised opposition leader Nelson Chamisa in another telephone call to pursue electoral grievances through legal channels, adding that any legal decision on the election results “would need to be independent”, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said in a Tuesday statement.

Haq said Guterres expressed hope that Zimbabweans would move forward in unity and reiterated UN calls on political leaders and the population “to exercise restraint and to reject any form of violence.”

The deputy spokesman described the telephone calls as constructive.