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At least 27 Members of Zimbabwe’s defeated opposition party appeared in court Saturday on violence charges, a day after President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared winner of the historic first elections following the downfall of Robert Mugabe.

The Movement For Democratic Change(MDC)  supporters were charged with “public violence” during the protests, accused of smashing windows at offices of the ruling ZANU-PF party and setting fire to vehicles.

They were remanded in custody until a bail hearing on Monday. The first post-Mugabe election had been cast as a watershed moment that would rid the former British colony of its global pariah status and begin a recovery in its failed economy.

Mnangagwa, a former Mugabe ally, has called for unity after presidential rival Nelson Chamisa rejected the results, insisting he was the real winner of an election marred by a deadly crackdown on opposition supporters.

Six people are to said to have died after troops in the capital Harare opened fire on demonstrators Wednesday, sparking an international outcry and raising grim memories of post-election violence under Mugabe’s repressive rule.

Mnangagwa has accused MDC of fomenting the unrest, but said he would set up an independent commission to investigate the killings.

International election observers have cited several problems, including media bias and mistrust in the electoral commission.

On Saturday, the British government said it was deeply concerned by the post-election violence and the “disproportionate response from the security forces.”