Zimbabwe’s main opposition party has won a key by-election in the capital Harare and taken all council seats in the second city of Bulawayo, according to results released on Monday.
Voting took place this weekend for two parliamentary by-elections, more than 200 council seats and seven mayoral positions across the country.
But the vote was marred by massive voter apathy, with only 11% of voters casting ballots in the capital, as well as sporadic violence reported in the economically stricken Southern African country.
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) retained its Harare Central parliamentary seat with 2 707 votes — more than twice the 1 304 cast for the ruling Zanu-PF party candidate, state radio reported.
The MDC has also won three mayoral elections, one in the western resort town of Victoria Falls, another in the southern town of Gwanda and a third in the northern lakeshore town of Kariba, state television said late on Monday.
Meanwhile in the second city of Bulawayo, another opposition stronghold, the MDC won all 27 contested seats, according to party official Victor Moyo.
But President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF won significant victories in other towns where his party has strong support. The party retained all the seats in the central towns of Marondera, Karoi and Chegutu.
The party also won the mayoral seat in the central town of Kwekwe.
Voting throughout the country was marked by very low turnout, amid speculation that many potential voters had preferred to spend time looking for scarce commodities and cash.
In addition, the opposition and an independent elections support group reported attacks on MDC members, including one at a polling station in the central city of Kwekwe.
MDC information official Maxwell Zimuto said his party had won the majority of seats in the western coal mining town of Hwange, as well as in Victoria Falls.
He added that the party had so far won 11 seats, to Zanu-PF’s four in Chitungwiza, a satellite town of Harare and another opposition stronghold.
Counting was continuing late on Monday.
Independent electoral observers have disputed the government’s claims that polling had been peaceful.
”Violence and intimidation resurfaced in this weekend’s elections with the MDC candidates and polling agents being assaulted by suspected Zanu-PF supporters … and some voters being denied access to some polling stations,” said Reginald Matchaba-Hove, head of the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN).
The MDC said the reports it received from polling stations ”pointed to a systematic approach to violence, intimidation … obstruction and denial of access to MDC members and activists”.
Both the MDC and the ZESN also cited cases of vote buying, with the latter saying its observers had seen maize being sold near polling stations.
”The sale of maize near polling stations amounts to vote buying and is therefore unacceptable,” Matchaba-Hove said.
The elections are taking place at a time of unprecedented economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe.
Inflation is currently running at about 400%, and 75% of Zimbabweans live in poverty, according to internationally accepted definitions.
The MDC has refused to accept Mugabe as the legitimately elected head of state, alleging widespread intimidation and irregularities in last year’s presidential polls. — Sapa-AFP