PRESIDENT Mugabe and Zanu-PF are headed for a landslide on the scale of the 1980 harmonised elections, amid reports the revolutionary party had made clean sweeps in six out of the country’s 10 provinces. In the remaining two provinces outside Harare and Bulawayo, Zanu-PF garnered more than 50 percent of the constituencies on offer. Official results released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and information sent in by our news crews countrywide shows Zanu-PF making a clean sweep of Masvingo, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central and near clean sweeps of Mashonaland West, Manicaland and the Midlands where it is reported to have fallen short of the “upon upon’’ exhorted by its First Secretary and President, Cde Mugabe by single constituencies apiece. Though full official results were still to be confirmed, results released by ZEC from 62 constituencies showed that Zanu-PF (represented by green on the map) had claimed 52 seats, while MDC-T (red) had managed 10. More results will be released today. Information gleaned from candidates and polling centre returns showed Zanu-PF making serious inroads into Harare where it garnered over a third of the vote, bagging six constituencies, up from the solitary Harare South it had consistently defended since the advent of MDC-T at the turn of the millennium. Several MDC-T heavyweights fell by the wayside, among them Jameson Timba, Theresa Makone, Elton Mangoma, Douglas Mwonzora, and Giles Mutsekwa. Countless surveys ahead of the elections from organisations as diverse as the US think-tank Council on Foreign Relations, Freedom House, Afrobarometer and pollsters like the Mass Public Opinion institute, MDC-T allies among them the NCA, Concerned ZCTU Affiliates, Sokwanele, and Zimbabwe vigil and media organisations like the New York Times, the Guardian, the Independent and the leftwing magazine Counterpunch had all pointed to a Zanu-PF victory. On the eve of polling, reports emerged that the US State department had gagged Freedom House from releasing its latest survey results that indicated a crushing victory for President Mugabe and Zanu-PF in harmonised elections. The Freedom House survey gave President Mugabe a 10 percent lead over Mr Tsvangirai and predicted a two thirds majority for Zanu-PF in the National Assembly where the revolutionary party was tipped to garner at least 140 seats in the 210 seat assembly. From our indications, the embargoed survey was spot on as far as the two-thirds majority but just fell short on the margin of the presidential vote amid indications President Mugabe is likely to prevail by more than 70 percent of the votes cast, which is throwback to the 1980 plebiscite to which the harmonised elections have been likened that had Zanu-PF garnering 57 out of the 80 black roll seats, while PF-Zapu garnered 20 with Bishop Abel Muzorewa’s UANC which managed three seats. Zanu-PF’s stunning performance in the key swing provinces of Manicaland and Masvingo drove the numbers. Our crews indicate that Zanu-PF swept all 26 seats in Masvingo up from the 12 the party garnered in 2008, while in Manicaland which was reported to be riven by internecine fighting ahead of the elections, Zanu-PF rose from a paltry six seats in 2008 to 22 out of the 26 on offer. Party is on for Pokello Polls conform to regional principles, guidelines: Sadc Zanu-PF heads for landslide, Clean sweeps six provinces, Party on course to two-thirds majority August 2, 2013 Headlines, Top Stories No comments elections mapHerald Reporters PRESIDENT Mugabe and Zanu-PF are headed for a landslide on the scale of the 1980 harmonised elections, amid reports the revolutionary party had made clean sweeps in six out of the country’s 10 provinces. In the remaining two provinces outside Harare and Bulawayo, Zanu-PF garnered more than 50 percent of the constituencies on offer. Official results released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and information sent in by our news crews countrywide shows Zanu-PF making a clean sweep of Masvingo, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central and near clean sweeps of Mashonaland West, Manicaland and the Midlands where it is reported to have fallen short of the “upon upon’’ exhorted by its First Secretary and President, Cde Mugabe by single constituencies apiece. Though full official results were still to be confirmed, results released by ZEC from 62 constituencies showed that Zanu-PF (represented by green on the map) had claimed 52 seats, while MDC-T (red) had managed 10. More results will be released today. Information gleaned from candidates and polling centre returns showed Zanu-PF making serious inroads into Harare where it garnered over a third of the vote, bagging six constituencies, up from the solitary Harare South it had consistently defended since the advent of MDC-T at the turn of the millennium. Several MDC-T heavyweights fell by the wayside, among them Jameson Timba, Theresa Makone, Elton Mangoma, Douglas Mwonzora, and Giles Mutsekwa. Countless surveys ahead of the elections from organisations as diverse as the US think-tank Council on Foreign Relations, Freedom House, Afrobarometer and pollsters like the Mass Public Opinion institute, MDC-T allies among them the NCA, Concerned ZCTU Affiliates, Sokwanele, and Zimbabwe vigil and media organisations like the New York Times, the Guardian, the Independent and the leftwing magazine Counterpunch had all pointed to a Zanu-PF victory. On the eve of polling, reports emerged that the US State department had gagged Freedom House from releasing its latest survey results that indicated a crushing victory for President Mugabe and Zanu-PF in harmonised elections. The Freedom House survey gave President Mugabe a 10 percent lead over Mr Tsvangirai and predicted a two thirds majority for Zanu-PF in the National Assembly where the revolutionary party was tipped to garner at least 140 seats in the 210 seat assembly. From our indications, the embargoed survey was spot on as far as the two-thirds majority but just fell short on the margin of the presidential vote amid indications President Mugabe is likely to prevail by more than 70 percent of the votes cast, which is throwback to the 1980 plebiscite to which the harmonised elections have been likened that had Zanu-PF garnering 57 out of the 80 black roll seats, while PF-Zapu garnered 20 with Bishop Abel Muzorewa’s UANC which managed three seats. Zanu-PF’s stunning performance in the key swing provinces of Manicaland and Masvingo drove the numbers. Our crews indicate that Zanu-PF swept all 26 seats in Masvingo up from the 12 the party garnered in 2008, while in Manicaland which was reported to be riven by internecine fighting ahead of the elections, Zanu-PF rose from a paltry six seats in 2008 to 22 out of the 26 on offer.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 21:26:13 +0000
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