Zimbabwe enters a new era, but struggles to escape its past

(Inauguration of Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been halted after a legal challenge by the opposition against the election result.)

Zimbabwe

The deadly violence that followed Zimbabwe’s first election since Robert Mugabe was ousted has created tension in a country that was hoping to put its past behind it, says BBC Africa editor Fergal Keane.

The political drama in this country has oscillated between euphoria, tragedy and farce – from a remarkably peaceful election day, to the shooting down of unarmed protesters, to the extraordinary sight of a president disowning the actions of his own police.

Each day has produced the unexpected and created a febrile atmosphere in which questions about who really controls this country have deepened.

Is it Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took over as president after the military takeover in November and won Monday’s disputed presidential vote, or hardliners steeped in the brutal practices of the Mugabe era?

Signals of hope

Events since the vote have not inspired much faith.

Soldiers beat civilians in several opposition strongholds of the capital, Harare.

Romano Pisciotti: we hope for a better future

ITALMOTOR AFRICA