Robert Mugabe and Morgan TsvangiraiResults announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission show that Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party has lost control of the country’s House of Assembly.  There is still no word on results of presidential voting.

Zimbabwe’s official election commission has confirmed that the Zimbabwe Africa National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF), the party which has ruled the country for nearly 30 years, has lost its parliamentary majority, news agencies report.
. . .
Reuters reported the ZEC as announcing that President Robert Mugabe’s party had won 94 of the 210 seats in parliament.  With only seven results outstanding, the party could not win the 106 seats it would need to control parliament.

The combined opposition parties reportedly took 105 of the 207 contested seats. Of those, 96 were won by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). It thus appeared that the MDC faction headed by Arthur Mutambara could hold the balance of power in Parliament.

The MDC claims that Morgan Tsvangirai has won the presidential race with more than 50% of the popular vote.  An absolute majority is required to avoid a run-off election between the top two vote-getters, which would have to be held within 21 days.

Most observers think a run-off will prove necessary, and that it would almost certainly result in a decisive defeat for Mugabe.

With official results still unreported in the separate presidential race, which was held alongside parliamentary balloting Saturday, Mugabe, in power all the 28 years since independence from Britain, may be focused on a runoff to try to extend his increasingly autocratic rule. An independent election observer said a ruling party official had told her the party would use every weapon in his considerable arsenal to ensure a runoff victory.

The opposition claimed outright victory for leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the presidential race, but the state-controlled newspaper predicted a runoff. The newspaper report was the first official admission that Mugabe had not won re-election. Mugabe has been silent and has not appeared in public since the vote.

The big fear is that a head-to-head contest between Mugabe and his long-time arch-enemy Tsvangirai will be marred by violence such as was seen in the 2000 and 2002 elections.

Previous related posts: