Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Harare (Agenzia Fides)- Zimbabwe's Opposition has taken parliament. The electoral Commission announced the results for the lower house of the Zimbabwean parliament. For the first time in 28 years the ruling party of President Robert Mugabe, ZANU-PF (National African Union of the Zimbabwe- Patriotic Front), lost its majority, having obtained 97 seats compared with the 99 won by the main Opposition party MDC Movement for Democratic Change, led by Morgan Tsvangirai. Ten other seats were won by a group formed after a scission from the MDC.
Although the electoral Commission did speak of an imminent announcement of Senate elections results, it gave no information about the presidential election. In the meantime contradictory signs are coming from the Mugabe regime. According to the South African financial daily Business Day, which cites anonymous Harare government sources, to his closest collaborators and family, Mugabe has admitted defeat at both the parliamentary and presidential levels.
However another government member, vice minister of Information and ZANU-PF spokesman, Bright Matonga, said his party is “ready to face a second round and for the victory which will come ”. Matonga said that Mugabe, not seen in public since Saturday, is waiting for the final results.
An eventual second round of elections could create high tension because the Opposition, which has already announced that it has won the first round, fears fraud and violence.
On the eve of the 29 March vote, several independent commentators warned about possible fraud on the part of the regime. However the international observers said on the whole the vote was free and fair.
The Churches of southern Africa expressed “frustration and disappointment” after the Zimbabwe government decided to exclude their representatives from the operations of vote control. According to CISA Catholic news agency in Nairobi, 110 leaders of Churches in the South African Development Community (SADC) arrived in Zimbabwe 10 days before the election, but the government refused to accredit them among the electoral observers. “We are shocked by fact that, while being one of the countries which signed the SADC Treaty (which provides some guidance with regard to the rule of law, democracy, good governance and human rights practices), Zimbabwe has now violated the Treaty guidelines” a CISA statement said. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 3/4/2008 righe 32 parole 411)
