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Zimbabwe's ruling party wins control of parliament

China Daily | Updated: 2018-08-02 07:25

HARARE, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's ruling party has won a majority of seats in parliament, the electoral commission announced on Wednesday, as the country braced for the official results of the first presidential election after longtime leader Robert Mugabe left office in November.

The ruling ZANU-PF party won 109 seats while the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change party had 41 in the 210-seat House of Assembly. The commission said two seats were won by smaller parties and 58 seats had yet to be declared.

The commission has said it would announce the results of the presidential race, pitting President Emmerson Mnangagwa against opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, only after all the votes have come in from across the country.

The parliamentary results strengthened the chances of Mnangagwa holding power, but triggered MDC demonstrations in Harare and fears of clashes between angry opposition supporters and the government.

Meanwhile, foreign observers began to give their first assessments of Monday's peaceful election and whether it was free and fair.

The Southern African Development Community said elections were held in line with the country's Constitution and in a peaceful environment that provided Zimbabweans with the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

"The harmonized elections represent a political watershed in Zimbabwe's history as they may open a new chapter that can lead to socio-economic recovery and consolidation of democracy," it said in a statement.

It called for any aggrieved candidates to "refrain from any form of violence".

A total of 5.6 million Zimbabweans voted on Monday to choose their new leader. If no presidential candidate wins at least 50 percent of the ballots cast in the first round, a runoff vote is scheduled for Sept 8.

The electoral commission had warned that final results of the presidential first round may not be known until Friday or even Saturday.

EU observers are due to give their preliminary report on the election later on Wednesday.

While the electoral commission has five days from the end of voting to release the final tally, the national mood was growing anxious partly because unofficial results are already swirling on social media.

Mnangagwa, a former vice-president of Mugabe, has said his showing in the presidential polls was "extremely positive" while urging people to wait for official results.

Chamisa, a lawyer and pastor who leads the opposition MDC party, has gone further, saying his own count shows that he won the election and that he's ready to form the next government.

"We won the popular vote & will defend it!" Chamisa tweeted on Wednesday.

Afp - Xinhua - Ap

Zimbabwe's ruling party wins control of parliament

(China Daily 08/02/2018 page12)

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