1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio

Counting and Tabulation of Election Results
Vote counting was done at polling stations as specified in the Electoral Act. The results were
recorded on a Return [V11] and then posted outside the polling station by presiding officers
before they were sent to the constituency election officers. The counting, recording and posting
of results were reportedly done in the presence of the candidates and their agents. Since most
political parties had deployed agents at polling stations, this process ensured transparency in
the counting process. However there were noted inconsistencies in the application of this legal
requirement [to post result outside polling stations and constituency centers] as by 1 April,
election results in Zvimba North, Zvimba West and Makonde constituencies were not posted
outside as per law.
The Release of Results and Analysis
The release of the results of this election, especially Presidential Results, remains one of the
most nerve-raking experiences in Zimbabwe’s post independence electoral history. House of
Assembly and Senatorial election results slowly trickled in while a complete information
blackout was imposed on the release of presidential results. Anxiety heightened as talk of
recounts emerged when presidential results had not been released two weeks after the
election. The presidential results were announced on 2 May 2008, five weeks after the polls.
This delay was particularly distressing given that in line with the new electoral law, election
results had been posted outside polling stations at the end of polling and had since then
became public information as people could simply collate them and predict the winner in the
elections, scenarios that prompted celebrations [mainly by MDC winning candidates] before the
official announcement of election results by ZEC. House of Assembly results were as below:
House of Assembly Results
CANDIDATE PARLIAMENTARY SEATS
MDC T 99 SEATS
ZANU PF 97 SEATS [2 Uncontested]
MDC 10 SEATS
INDEPENDENT 1 SEAT
TOTAL NUMBER OF SEATS 207 SEATS [ 3 by-Elections]
For the first time in Zimbabwe’s post independence electoral history, an opposition party
emerged with a two-seat lead in parliament. Opposition presence in parliament was even more
pronounced when the 99 MDC T seats were combined with the 10 from the breakaway MDC
faction. In a democracy such a structured parliament looks set to encourage robust debates
and serious scrutiny of policy enforcement.
Analysis of these parliamentary results glaringly point to visible inroads by the opposition into
traditional rural strongholds of the ruling party with the ruling party losing almost 30% of its rural
vote to the MDC while the opposition maintained its urban vote. Even where ZANU PF is in the
majority in terms of seats spread, closer analysis of votes cast reflect threatening thin margin
scenarios suggesting that ZANU PF had a big challenge in reversing the 13%-plus vote deficit
to the MDC and independent candidate and win the run-off.
In Masvingo Province, 14 seats out of the 26 contested parliamentary seats were won by the
MDC with ZANU PF retaining 12 pointing to another big upset for the ruling party given the
history of this province as a ZANU PF stronghold. Opposition challenge was even more
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