The Zimbabwean government has summoned European Union diplomats for a meeting in the capital, Harare, where it accused the bloc's election observers of bias in their preliminary report on the just concluded general elections.
The government accused the EU Election Observer Mission (EU EOM) of "gross interference" in the internal affairs of the country and of misleading the world about the Zimbabwe elections.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa won a second term with 52.6% of the votes, but the opposition has rejected the results alleging rigging and voter suppression.
In its report, the EU observer mission said the election "fell short of many regional and international standards".
But Zimbabwe's foreign minister said the report was "full of misrepresentations and allegations", according to a statement on Monday.
'Based on hearsay'
"It is highly unfortunate that the EU EOM made conclusions based on hearsay, and on the basis of one sided information from the opposition," Amon Murwira. said.
"In our view, observer mission have no legal jurisdiction to comment on our constitution and laws, and make judgmental pronouncements on our elections," he added.
The EU observer mission is expected to release a final report on the elections with details on its findings and assessments.
The elections held last week, were the second since the country's long-time leader Robert Mugabe was ousted in 2027.
