The Zimbabwe Communist Party (ZCP) on Thursday condemned the Zimbabwe Defence Forces for “firing live ammunition in the streets of Harare against opposition protestors”.

In a statement, General Secretary of the ZCP Ngqabutho Mabhena also urged political leaders in Zimbabwe to be responsible and not use the country’s youth to advance their political goals.

“We call on the political leaders to be responsible and desist from abusing young people. Political leaders should not incite young people to cause mayhem. The call for young people to take to the streets is reckless to say the least. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has a mandate to deliver election results as per its constitutional mandate,” said Mabhena.

“The Zimbabwean state has a mandate to maintain law and order and the soldiers are not trained to perform such a task. We call on the Zimbabwe government to immediately remove all soldiers from the streets of Harare. If there are demonstrations in the city, the police must protect all citizens and property while soldiers are locked in barracks.”

The ZCP also appealed to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to release the remaining results from Monday’s elections without further delay.

“We call on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to avail the remaining results to the people of Zimbabwe. As citizens, let us refrain from circulating fake news that will cause despondency in our society,” said Mabhena.

The euphoria of the first elections of the post-Mugabe rapidly evaporated after military trucks rolled into central Harare to quell protests by opposition MDC-Alliance supporters. Independent media in Zimbabwe reported on Thursday that more than six people were shot dead in the melee that followed the soldiers’ deployment.