Evidence Chipadza
GWERU: The Chamisa led Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) side shined in the recently held by-elections managed to grab all sits under contest save for Gokwe Central and Mberengwa East as their campaigning candidates lost to the ruling ZANU PF party.
The triumph was regardless of anomalies identified by candidates ahead of poll.
The anomalies that were largely attributed to the ‘inefficiency’ of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) included army personnel being subscribed as observers and infants being sent with campaign material to polling stations on election day.
“We have three soldiers recruited as election observers. It is a headache to us as ZEC has not swiftly responded to our complaint,” said Ward 2 campaigning candidate, Josiah Makombe.
There was also pandemonium at a Mkoba polling station as police had to whisk away three juveniles for distributing campaign fliers to people who are queuing for their turn to vote.
Police have however made no official communication about that since the day.
A polling agent who refused to be named however told CommuTalk that the boys aged 10, 16 and 16 were whisked away by police for further investigation after they were seen distributing fliers written ‘Vote for Willam Gondo.’
The agent also said this resulted in commission which ultimately got voting stopped for about 20 minutes.
According to the current Electoral Act, ‘No political party or candidate may, from midnight twenty-four hours before polling day in any election or referendum until polling stations are closed on that day, campaign or display campaign material within 300 meters of a polling station or counting center.’
Regardless of the complaints, CCC retained most of their controversial parliamentary sits, where their members had been recalled, in Gweru and Kwekwe districts.
In Mbizo constituency CCC candidate Settlement Chikwinya won the seat after garnering 7146 to win against his main contender Vongaishe Mupereri who pulled 3232 votes. In Kwekwe Central, Judith Tobaiwa won after getting 6 639 votes.
Tobaiwa takes over the Kwekwe central constituency seat which was let vacant following the death of Masango Matambanadzo of the National Patriotic Front.
Tobaiwa was way ahead of her main contender, John Mapurazi of Zanu PF who gunnered 2883 votes.
In Gweru, CCC candidate Amos Chibaya won to retain his seat as he garnered 6 809 votes ahead of ZANU PF’s William Gondo who got 2613.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) retained most of its seats in the Saturday by-elections after winning 22 of the 28 National Assembly seats, official results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) results show.
However, Zanu PF will claim significant progress after winning two seats previously occupied by the opposition, Epworth and Mutasa South.
In Epworth, Zanu PF’s Zalerah Makari garnered 10,248 votes to beat CCC’s Earthrage Kureva who got 8,283 votes.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is yet to announce the official results but tallies by its returning officers show that it was mainly a two-horse race between Zanu PF and CCC.
The results also proved to be the final nail into the MDC-T coffin after the party failed to win in any of the seats or wards being contested.
Zanu PF also retained its rural seats in Mberengwa South, Murewa South, Chivi South, Mwenezi East, Gokwe Central, and Tsholotsho North.