ANA FILE -- Zimbwabwe polling agencies at Zengeza 3 high school in Zengeza outside Harare, going through the procedure of the day where the country is preparing to cast their vote. FILE PHOTO: Matthews Baloyi/Africa News Agency (ANA) ANA FILE -- Zimbwabwe polling agencies at Zengeza 3 high school in Zengeza outside Harare, going through the procedure of the day where the country is preparing to cast their vote. FILE PHOTO: Matthews Baloyi/Africa News Agency (ANA)
HARARE - President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Zanu-PF have amassed a total of 144 seats while the MDC Alliance got 64 from the general elections, according to the final poll results released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) Commissioner Qhubani Moyo on Thursday.
There are 210 contestable seats in Zimbabwe’s National Assembly.
The result represents 69% parliamentary representation for Zanu-PF and 30% for MDC-Alliance.
The other two seats were snatched by Temba Mliswa, an independent candidate and National Patriotic Front’s Masango Matambanadzo in Kwekwe Central.
According to the results, MDC Alliance failed to get a single seat from Mashonaland Central’s 18 contested seats. The MDC only got one seat from 26 contested ones in Masvingo.
Zanu-PF retained its two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.
In 2013, the ruling Zanu-PF won 160 seats to the then MDC-T’s 49 with one seat going to the MDC then led by Professor Welshman Ncube who is now an MDC-Alliance principal.
Zanu-PF dominated its traditional strongholds of Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East, Masvingo, Midlands, Matabeleland South and Manicaland provinces.
In Mashonaland Central Province, the ruling party made a clean sweep of all 18 constituencies and made significant headway in opposition strongholds such as Bulawayo South.
In Mashonaland East, Goromonzi West constituency was won by Zanu-PF’s Energy Mutodi after the MDC-Alliance fielded two candidates.
Zanu-PF won the majority of seats in the rural constituencies with the MDC-Alliance grabbing most urban seats.
There was an uptick of support for the opposition MDC-Alliance in Matabeleland South, where they gained one seat.
Zanu-PF dominated in seven provinces: The party made a clean sweep in Mashonaland Central taking all 18 seats on offer.
The MDC-Alliance did not help its cause by fielding two candidates in four constituencies -- Mazowe North, Mazowe South; Mazowe West; and Muzarabani North.
In Mashonaland West, Zanu-PF only dropped four of the 22 seats as the MDC-Alliance triumphed in three constituencies, while one seat – Norton – was won by Mliswa.
In the Midlands province, the MDC-Alliance gained two more seats from the three they won in 2013.
In Manicaland province, Zanu-PF won 19 of the 26 seats. In the previous election, it had 22 seats.
Seven constituencies were to MDC-Alliance constituencies.
In Masvingo, Zanu-PF won all but one seat, Masvingo Urban.
Initially, the MDC-Alliance had two candidates in six constituencies — Bikita East, Gutu North, Gutu Central, Gutu West, Masvingo South and Zaka West.
But they managed to secure withdrawals in four constituencies within the seven-day window provided for by ZEC before Monday’s polls.
Unsurprisingly, the coalition lost in Bikita East and Gutu North where they had fielded double nominations.
In Mashonaland East, where Zanu-PF won 22 out of the 23 seats in the 2013 elections, the revolutionary party dropped two seats – Marondera Central and Goromonzi South, which went to the MDC-Alliance.
Related Topics: