Preliminary results show Zanu PF leading in council and Parliamentary elections

By Agencies

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s elections are over.

Organisations that observed the elections polls will be releasing their assessment reports starting on Friday.

SADC, AU COMESA, Commonwealth and European Union observer missions are all expected to to issue their preliminary results on Friday.

The harmonised elections, though largely peaceful, were marred by delays in the distribution of ballot papers.

Heads of SADC and EU observer missions on polling day expressed concern at the delay in the distribution of ballot paper, saying it contradicted the country’s laws.

Today they will issue detailed reports on how the elections were conducted and they can be improved.

Some local civil society organisations said the elections were far from free, fair and credible because the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission was not independent and did not provide all political parties with the voter’s roll.

The main opposition, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has expressed worry over delays in the distribution of ballot papers, saying it was deliberate and meant to disenfranchise urban voters.

Meanwhile, results from the country’s 10 provinces show the governing Zanu-PF is leading in parliamentary and council elections from the eight rural province , while the CCC won in the Harare and Bulawayo metropolitan provinces.

CCC won all the 12 parliamentary seats in Bulawayo where Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube was one of the Zanu-PF candidates.

Zanu-PF won all 18 seats in Mashonaland Central, and got 23 out of 26 in Masvingo province.

Presidential results will be released by 28 August.