Zimbabwe's Ruling ZANU-PF Wins Majority of Parliamentary Seats

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) announced that President Emmerson Mnangagwa's ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party has the majority of seats in parliament.

RELATED: 
Zimbabwe Counts Votes After First Post-Mugabe Election

According to the Independent, Mnangagwa's party won 109 seats while challenger Nelson Chamisa's opposition Movement for Democratic Change took 41. Another 58 seats are yet to be decided.

Election observer, the Association for Free Research and International Cooperation (AFRIC), gave ZEC a passing grade regarding conducting a successful plebiscite. Representatives of the AU, SADC and COMESA election observer missions made presentations during a press conference Wednesday. 

One observer representative remarked, in the press conference, that some concerns and complaints lodged against ZEC were “residual historical distrust” of some organizations affiliated with the voting process. The rep also addressed voting challenges outside the country, stating that diaspora voting is not facilitated by the constitution of Zimbabwe.

Zimbabweans now await the results of the presidential election. The president, on Wednesday, urged the people to remain calm and patient as the ZEC finalizes the results of the polls.

Counting began Monday in the first election since the removal of former President Robert Mugabe.

Late Sunday, Mugabe held a surprise press conference ahead of the general elections and announced that he would not support Mnangagwa.