At least six people have died in clashes on the streets of Harare, Zimbabwe, after protests broke out on August 1 following the release of preliminary election results.

This footage shows locals running from what are described as automatic gun shots.

Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi told media that the army had been deployed on August 1 to "ensure that law and order is maintained … [and] that peace and security prevails, The Zimbabwe Mail reported.

ZANU-PF won two-thirds of the seats in parliament, beating rival party MDC Alliance, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation tweeted, and both ZANU-PF incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa and MDC leader Nelson Chamisa claimed victory on August 2, though final results had not yet been revealed at the time of writing.

Mnangagwa said he was talking with Chamisa about defusing the situation.

On July 31, Zimbabwe took to the polls for the first time since the 2017 removal of Robert Mugabe, also of the ZANU-PF party. Mugabe had been president for 30 years after serving as prime minister for seven years. Credit: Benon Mutema via Storyful