Maravi

ZANU-PF rejects MDC's straight win claims

ZANU-PF rejects MDC's straight win claims
By Kingsley Kaswende in Harare
Friday April 04, 2008 [04:00]

ZANU-PF has rejected claims by MDC of a straight win that will not require the two parties to go for a run-off. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, whose party has won most parliamentary seats to end ZANU-PF's majority in Parliament for the first time in 28 years, claimed on Tuesday that he had registered a straight win that will not require a run-off.

But President Robert Mugabe's spokesperson, George Charamba, on Wednesday accused the opposition of attempting to mislead the public by inflating the digits that are not even in the possession of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
Charamba dismissed MDC’s projections as mere speculation.

"They are anxious for a result that is not theirs," he said.
President Mugabe himself has not been seen in public since Saturday's election.

Former information deputy minister Bright Matonga said MDC were rushing to announce results even when they were not an official body to do so.

"If the MDC thinks they have won, why don't they wait? Let it come from official sources," he said in an interview.

Official figures of parliamentary election results released by ZEC indicated that Tsvangirai's MDC had taken 99 seats, ZANU-PF with 97, Prof Arthur Mutambara's MDC with 10, and one independent in a 210-strong Parliament.

Tsvangirai's MDC faction said its leader had won 50.3 per cent of the presidential vote and Mugabe 43.8 per cent according to its own tallies of results posted outside polling stations.

According to the recent amendments to the Zimbabwean constitution, the President will have powers to nominate 10 members of parliament to the House of Assembly and six senators to the Senate.

MDC secretary general, Tendai Biti said this absolute majority was enough for outright victory but Tsvangirai would accept a second round run-off against Mugabe "under protest".

The state appears to have been preparing the population for a runoff by revealing its own projections showing a second round would be required in the statutory three weeks after last Saturday's vote.

According to state projections obtained by The Post, and pasted in the state media, neither candidate has an absolute win, which puts off a run-off and that even when the results of three by-elections caused by death of candidates are known, neither will have the 106 seats needed for an absolute majority.

ZANU-PF claims that it is ahead of Tsvangirai in terms of the popular vote although Tsvangirai has a lead in seat numbers.

The ruling party claims it won 45.94 per cent of the votes in the contested seats, with Tsvangirai's recording 42.88 per cent, Mutambara's MDC 8.39 per cent and the minor parties and independent candidates 2.79 per cent.

ZANU-PF claims an absolute majority of the vote in five provinces namely Mashonaland, Midlands and Masvingo and that Tsvangirai's MDC won the absolute majority of the vote only in Harare and Manicaland.

ZANU-PF projects that if the voting patterns follow the votes for the members of parliament fairly closely - with Zanu-PF supporters voting for President Mugabe, MDC-Tsvangirai voters opting for Tsvangirai and the other MDC voting for Dr Simba Makoni - it is difficult to see how any candidate can reach the total of 50 per cent plus one required to avoid a run-off.

"Even if almost all those who voted for independent candidates and the minor parties gave their presidential vote to Tsvangirai, he would still fall far short of the total unless a large number of ZANU-PF and MDC-Mutambara voters switched to him in the presidential poll," the ZANU-PF analysis states.

Labels: ELECTIONS, MDC, ZANU-PF, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 10:00 AM