Mugabe's party takes the lead
01/04/2005 17:52  - (SA)  

Mass fraud in poll - Tsvangirai Mass fraud in poll - Tsvangirai Election 'far from perfect' Zim: Rural votes will clinch it Zim: Rural votes will clinch it Zim: MDC looking strong Zim: MDC looking strong Election could mean end of MDC Election could mean end of MDC

Zimbabwe Special Report  Latest Zimbabwe Stories

Harare - President Robert Mugabe's ruling party took the lead in elections on Thursday, winning 32 of the 120 contested seats for parliament, results showed.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which has charged "massive fraud" in the elections, was holding 31 seats, mostly in its urban strongholds of Harare and Zimbabwe's second city of Bulawayo, the electoral commission said.

Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) was gathering momentum as results from rural areas where the party has traditionally had a strong showing were released, in particular from the northern Mashonaland West constituency.

Turnout was on average below 50% in the elections, following weeks of campaigning that were free of the bloodshed that marred the previous ballots in 2000 and 2002 in which scores were killed and many more beaten, mostly opposition supporters.

Among those elected was Mugabe's nephew Patrick Zhuwawo and sister Sabina while three senior MDC party members, Welshman Ncube, Gibson Sibanda and Innocent Gonese, retained their seats.

Heather Bennett, the wife of jailed white opposition lawmaker Roy Bennett, lost her bid to win the Chimanimani seat to Zanu-PF candidate Samuel Udenge.

Parliament speaker Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was tipped to succeed Mugabe until a major shakeup in the Zanu-PF party leadership late last year, was defeated in the central Kwekwe constituency.

Mugabe has predicted a massive two-thirds majority for his party.

About 5,8 million voters were eligible to cast ballots.

In the last parliamentary vote in 2000, the MDC picked up 57 seats while Zanu-PF got 62, but under Zimbabwe law, the president directly appoints 30 members of parliament, meaning that the ruling party was able to command a strong majority in parliament.

To win in this election, the MDC would have to gain 76 seats compared to only 46 for Zanu-PF, which can again rely on presidential appointments to pad its majority in parliament.

Of Zimbabwe's eligible voters, about three million people who live and work abroad were not able to cast ballots because the country bars postal ballots except for soldiers, police officers and diplomats on state duties outside the country.

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