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Mr George Charamba

Editor
THE Zanu-PF Politburo will take a decision on provincial election results in Mashonaland Central only after receiving both the results and the report from the presiding team, President Mugabe has said. Allegations of irregularities plagued Zanu-PF elections in Mashonaland Central Province where incumbent chairman Cde Dickson Mafios was challenged by Cde Luke Mushore.

Voting in Mashonaland Central, which was supposed to be conducted in one day last Saturday was extended to Sunday but six districts failed to vote. Voting was still outstanding in Mt Darwin East, Chimanja, Guruve, Kemutamba and Nyahunzvi A and Nyahunzvi; Mazowe South and North, Eskbank and Galloway, when Cde Mushore was unofficially declared the winner.  There were also widespread but unconfirmed reports of voting irregularities across the province.

Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba said he had been instructed by President Mugabe to share with the media that Zanu-PF’s highest decision-making body outside congress was still to be briefed on and to take a decision on the Mashonaland Central provincial elections.

“Tell the media that I have told you that the Politburo has not as yet received results from Mashonaland Central province. Equally, the Politburo is still to receive a report which accompanies the same,’’ Mr Charamba said.

“It is only when the Politburo has been favoured with both the results and the accompanying report that it will then be in a position to study both before taking a decision,’’ he added.

To this end, President Mugabe has since met secretary for administration Cde      Didymus Mutasa to communicate the position which effectively means there is no confirmed or official result in Mashonaland Central province.

Before Mashonaland Central, provincial elections with contested outcomes were also held in Manicaland and the Midlands provinces where Cdes John Mvundura and Jason Machaya were declared winners over Cdes Monica Mutsvangwa and Larry Mavhima who both cried foul citing several irregularities. The Midlands result has since been challenged on grounds that several districts did not vote and a final decision is still pending.

In light of the contested outcomes in Manicaland and Midlands provinces, the Zanu-PF leadership has been debating whether to set aside both results and start afresh, or accept the results of the two provinces and insist that elections in the remaining seven provinces be done in line with the party’s electoral rules and guidelines that stipulate that elections be conducted and concluded within one day.

The Zanu-PF constitution does not provide for the staggering of elections which must be done simultaneously within set time frames and on the basis of verified membership registers but this has not been adhered to as the three provinces that have voted so far have had staggered elections.

Elections in the three provinces have also been beset by failures by way of party registers, deployment of voting material, composition of supervisory teams, and communication of results, all of which need to be straightened out before the remaining seven provinces vote.
It is not yet clear when the pending elections will be held given the myriad issues that need rectification in accordance with the Party’s constitution, rules and  regulations.