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Herald Reporters
ZANU-PF yesterday retained its two thirds majority in the National Assembly after winning 144 out of the 207 constituencies whose results were announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).

Results from three constituencies were pending at the time of going to press.

The seven-party MDC Alliance managed only 61 seats, with the Mugabe project, the National Patriotic Front (NPF), winning one seat.

Only one independent candidate, Mr Temba Mliswa, won. He retained his Norton seat.

In 2013, the ruling Zanu-PF won 160 seats to the then MDC-T’s 49 with one seat going to the MDC then led by Professor Welshman Ncube who is now an MDC-Alliance principal.

Zanu-PF dominated its traditional strongholds of Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East, Masvingo, Midlands, Matabeleland South and Manicaland provinces.

In Mashonaland Central Province, the ruling party made a clean sweep of all 18 constituencies.

It also made significant headway in opposition strongholds such as Bulawayo, where it snatched Bulawayo South.

There was an uptick of support for the opposition MDC-Alliance in Matabeleland South, where they gained one seat.

Zanu-PF dominated in seven provinces: The revolutionary party’s election machinery proved unstoppable in Mashonaland Central with a clean sweep of all 18 seats.

The MDC Alliance did not help its cause by fielding two candidates in four constituencies – Mazowe North (Stephen Muchenje and Mcumillan Ndhlovu); Mazowe South (Gift Chimanikire and Faith Gamuchirai Chakwera); Mazowe West (Thamarie Chimanzi and Rorana Machihwa); and Muzarabani North (Takawira Agreement Kagura and Lawrence Mushori).

In Mashonaland West, Zanu-PF only dropped four of the 22 seats as the MDC-Alliance triumphed in three constituencies, while one seat – Norton – was won by Mr Mliswa.

In the Midlands province, the MDC-Alliance gained two more seats from the three they won in 2013.

In Manicaland province, Zanu-PF won 19 of the 26 seats. In the previous election, it had 22 seats.

In the just-ended poll, seven constituencies were to MDC-Alliance constituencies.

In Masvingo, Zanu-PF won all but one seat, Masvingo Urban.

Initially, the MDC-Alliance had two candidates in six constituencies — Bikita East, Gutu North, Gutu Central, Gutu West, Masvingo South and Zaka West.

But they managed to secure withdrawals in four constituencies within the seven-day window provided for by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) before Monday’s polls.

Unsurprisingly, the coalition lost in Bikita East and Gutu North where they had fielded double nominations.

In Mashonaland East, where Zanu-PF won 22 out of the 23 seats in the 2013 elections, the revolutionary party dropped two seats – Marondera Central and Goromonzi South, which went to the MDC-Alliance.