Partial results from Zimbabwe’s parliamentary election suggested the ruling party’s lead was growing on Friday, but election observers said the vote did not meet international standards and was conducted in a “climate of fear”.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF party was widely expected to maintain its 43-year grip on power after Zimbabweans voted in a parliamentary and presidential poll on Wednesday.
A tally by state broadcaster ZBC showed ZANU-PF winning 101 parliamentary constituencies and the main opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) winning 59, out of a total of 210.
The result of the presidential vote has not been announced yet. It is expected within five days of voting.
Mnangagwa, 80, is seeking re-election at a time when the southern African country is grappling with soaring inflation and high unemployment, with many Zimbabweans reliant on dollar remittances from relatives abroad to make ends meet. His main challenger is 45-year-old lawyer and pastor Nelson Chamisa.
In other news – ZANU-PF hits back at SADC following scathing preliminary report
The governing ZANU-PF party in Zimbabwe has hit back at the SADeC Head of Mission, Nevers Mumba, who said the Zimbabwe Electoral Management Body fell short of the Zimbabwe Constitutional obligations and the Electoral Act including the SADeC principles in the elections. Zimbabweans went to the polls on Wednesday.
The mission says the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission assured them that it was ready to conduct the polls and all material needed was available but on the day of the voting, some polling stations were not even there. Read more
