SW Radio Africa (London)
Lance Guma
31 March 2008
Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa has been the first Zanu PF heavyweight to be defeated in the country's harmonised parliamentary, senate, council and presidential elections.
As the first batch of official results were released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, Chinamasa was beaten by little known MDC Tsvangirai candidate John Nyamande. Only a few months ago Nyamande was the interim chairman of the MDC UK Province, before he decided to go back home and seek a parliamentary seat.
On Monday late morning the MDC claimed that out of 128 constituencies tallied up so far they have won 96 and that party leader Morgan Tsvangirai has 60 percent of the presidential vote.
Robert Mugabe is trailing with 30 percent while Simba Makoni is third with 10 percent.
By early afternoon the results being announced by the ZEC were still tallying with the MDC's own figures. Biti said they now had more seats in the rural areas than urban ones. In figures released by the ZEC for 24 constituencies, Zanu PF and the MDC are tied 12 each. The MDC claims Zanu PF will soon run out of positive results to announce.
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