The concluding star rally for the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party. President Robert and First Lady Amai Grace wave to the party supporters., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
2013 total political eclipse
August 3, 2013
Tendai Mugabe and Stanley Mushava
Zimbabwe Herald
ZANU-PF is poised to surpass the two-thirds majority required to pass or amend laws in Parliament when the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission releases the last batch of results from the remaining 27 constituencies today.
The revolutionary party has since amassed 136 seats out of 210 at stake and is left with only four to clinch the crucial two thirds that would result in it setting its agenda for the country.
Zanu-PF needs to win 140 seats to attain a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.
President Mugabe is widely expected to trounce MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai with a wide margin in results expected to be announced at least by Monday.
The other presidential candidates were Professor Welshman Ncube of MDC and Dr Dumiso Dabengwa (Zapu), while Mr Kisinoti Mukwazhe of the Zimbabwe Development Party chickened out at the last minute, too late to have his name removed from the ballot.
Local Government election results were also still to be announced.
The harmonised elections attracted a lot of interest, with a total of 20 political parties and 72 independents contesting in the National Assembly elections.
By the time of going to press yesterday, MDC-T had attained 46 seats, with one constituency going to independent candidate Mr Jonathan Samukange.
ZEC said the remaining results would be announced this morning.
Results tabulated by The Herald, but still to be confirmed by ZEC showed that the rejuvenated Zanu-PF would garner more than 150 seats out of the 210 elective National Assembly seats in Parliament.
Such a feat would ensure smooth sailing and implementation of laws in the August house.
Zanu-PF had a clean sweep of seats in Masvingo Province where it clinched the 14 constituencies at stake, reclaiming two that were lost to MDC-T in 2008 to take its tally to 26.
The resurgent revolutionary party also swept all the 13 seats in Matabeleland South after wrestling 10 seats that went to MDC and MDC-T in the last harmonised elections.
Zanu-PF made major inroads in Manicaland where it clinched 22 seats out of 26 after having lost 18 to MDC-T in 2008.
Although Zanu-PF failed to get a single seat in Bulawayo, it made significant gains in the share of the vote.
The party made inroads into perceived MDC-T urban strongholds such as Harare where it snatched six seats out of the 28.
In Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central provinces, the revolutionary party maintained its dominance after scoring 37 from the combined 40 seats, with two constituencies still to be announced.
Mr Samukange clinched Mudzi South in Mashonaland East after standing as an independent and automatically expelling himself from Zanu-PF.
In 2008, Zanu-PF had 16 seats in Mashonaland Central and 19 in Mashonaland East.
The biggest number of votes for Zanu-PF so far was in Rushinga where the party’s candidate Cde Wonder Mashange garnered 24 464 votes against MDC-T candidate Tobias Tapera who got a mere 760 votes.
In Shamva South, Zanu-PF candidate Joseph Mapiki outwitted MDC-T candidate Leman Pwanyika with 22 332 votes against 1 514.
Such high figures registered by Zanu-PF are set condemn MDC-T to its political death bed and the Western sponsored party is unlikely to rise from such a loss.
Results from the Mashonaland West also confirmed Zanu-PF’s dominance after the party got 20 seats, while MDC-T got only one.
ZEC is still to announce results for Kariba constituency in Mashonaland West.
Zimbabwe held harmonised elections on July 31 that were widely endorsed as free and fair by observers.
The local and foreign observers also hailed Zimbabwe for holding the peaceful elections despite unsubstantiated rigging allegations by MDC-T.
On Thursday, Zanu-PF national spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo hailed the poll outcome, saying the elections were conducted in a calm and peaceful environment, adding the results would be legitimate.
“The turnout was good and the results trickling in are what we have,” he said.
“Everything was peaceful, free, fair and credible. We are expecting a landslide victory with not less than 75 percent for His Excellency President Robert Mugabe.
“From what we are getting from the ground, especially in Harare, Manicaland and Masvingo, we are impressed. We are yet to verify on what happened in Matabeleland and Mashonaland Central.”
Cde Gumbo said the party was optimistic of victory in most constituencies previously run by the MDC-T formations.
Mr Mukwazhe said the election environment was free and fair despite his party’s deprival of election funding by Government.
In addition to the 210 elected members of the National Assembly, the new Zimbabwe Constitution provides for 60 additional seats for women to be chosen by proportional representation using party lists and based on the proportion of votes won by each political party in the constituency elections, by province.
This Mixed Member System is similar to the system used in Tanzania and Lesotho, but is implemented by province, with six women elected per province.
The provision for guaranteed seats for women will apply for the first two Parliaments under the new Constitution.
The proportional representation system will be used to elect members of the Senate and the new provincial councils.
Some 208 candidates are contesting for Senate, which will be made up of 80 members, comprising six representatives elected on a proportional basis from each of the 10 provinces based on the amount of votes for each party per province as well as two representatives of persons with disabilities.
The remainder will be 18 traditional chiefs, comprising the president and deputy president elected by the National Council of Chiefs and two chiefs elected from each of the eight non-metropolitan provinces.
Elections for representatives of the chiefs were held on Friday.
The new Constitution introduced a “zebra-list” system for the nomination of senate candidates.
Under this system, political parties submit lists of candidates showing women and men alternating, with a woman at the top of each list.
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