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Madzongwe for top Senate post
The Herald (Zimbabwe)
November 29, 2005

http://www.herald.co.zw/index.php?id=49193&pubdate=2005-11-29

View Results of the 2005 Senate Elections and Gutu North Parliamentary by-election

ZANU-PF has won 43 Senate seats against the MDC's seven and has selected current Deputy Speaker of Parliament Cde Edna Madzongwe as a candidate for President of the Senate in polls to be held tomorrow when the new Senators will be sworn in.

Cde Madzongwe is set to become the first President of the reintroduced Upper House after the Zanu-PF Politburo endorsed her candidature at its meeting in Harare yesterday.

The Politburo agreed the party would sponsor Cde Madzongwe - a former Deputy Minister of Education and Culture and Deputy Speaker of Parliament for three terms - for the Senate Presidency.

It also approved Cde Naison Ndlovu - a former MP for Insiza and Deputy Speaker of Parliament - as the party's choice to stand for the post of Deputy President of the Upper House.

He was elected Senator for Insiza at the weekend.

According to highly placed sources, the Politburo has selected former Cabinet minister and Buhera South MP Cde Kumbirai Kangai to run in the election to replace Cde Madzongwe as Deputy Speaker in the Lower House.

Cde Madzongwe's selection is in line with Zanu-PF and Government policies to elevate women into decision-making positions.

The sources said the Presidium was expected to meet either yesterday or today to select the six non-constituency Senators to be appointed by the President.

The final results released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission yesterday show that the ruling party won in three of the four constituencies whose results had not been announced at the weekend, with the MDC taking one seat.

In Gokwe, Zanu-PF candidate Cde Shaddy Sai polled 26 495 votes beating Mr Lameck Muyambi of the MDC who had 6 661 votes.

The Tsholotsho-Hwange seat also went to Zanu-PF after Cde Josephine Moyo garnered 7 747 votes against the MDC's Mr Samuel Sipepa Nkomo's 5 301 votes.

In Hwange East, Cde Grace Dube of Zanu-PF polled 4 343 votes, beating Mr Jabulani Ndlovu of the MDC and independent candidate Mr Allen Mpofu, who had 3 260 and 303 votes respectively.

Mr Herbert Sinampande of the MDC garnered 7 225 votes to win in Binga, beating Cde James Siamenda of Zanu-PF who polled 4 183 votes.

The ruling party won 19 of the 43 seats unopposed at the close of the nomination courts last month.

Eight chiefs have also been elected by the provincial electoral colleges of chiefs to sit in the Senate.

These are Chief Chiduku of Manicaland, Chief Negomo (Mashonaland Central), Chief Musarurwa (Mashonaland East), Chief Nemakonde (Mashonaland West), Chief Sengwe (Masvingo), Chief Mtshane (Matabeleland North), Chief Maduna (Matabeleland South) and Chief Gambiza (Midlands).

Chiefs Nemakonde, Sengwe and Maduna were all nominated unopposed.

The eight chiefs will be joined by the President of the Council of Chiefs and his Deputy in the Upper House. The two will be replaced by the Resident Ministers of Harare and Bulawayo Metropolitan provinces in the Lower House.

Clerk of Parliament Mr Austin Zvoma said yesterday the newly elected Senators, together with the President and Deputy President of the Council of Chiefs, the eight chiefs and six non-constituency Senators, would be sworn in tomorrow.

"The swearing-in ceremony will be followed by the election of the President and Deputy President of the Senate," he said.

All Senators are requested to be at Parliament at 8.30am tomorrow in order to obtain parliamentary identity cards, information files and complete certain formalities.

Senators from Matabeleland provinces should fly to Harare today. They should collect their air tickets from Air Zimbabwe offices in Bulawayo or Victoria Falls.

Meanwhile, the Sadc Electoral Observer Mission (SEOM) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) observers have hailed the free and transparent manner in which the Senate polls were held.

In a statement, SEOM expressed satisfaction with the organisation and management of the electoral process.

"While the mission noticed an overall low turnout, the general conduct of the electorate and electoral officials was commendable.

"The Sadc Electoral Observer Mission expresses its satisfaction and congratulates the people of Zimbabwe for having expressed their will in a peaceful and transparent manner," it said.

Comesa Observer Team leader Ambassador Siteke Mwale said in a statement they were satisfied with the adequate preparations for the elections.

The introduction of translucent ballot boxes, he said, was a commendable improvement in the electoral process.

"In the final analysis, the Comesa Observer Team holds the view that the Zimbabwe 2005 Senate elections and Gutu North (parliamentary) by-election were conducted credibly, freely, and fairly.

"The entire process was peaceful and those who wished to vote had an opportunity to do so without hindrance.

"Our final report to Comesa secretary-general Mr Erastus Mwecha will, therefore, confirm this conclusion," Ambassador Siteke said.

Members of the Comesa observer team were drawn from Kenya, Egypt, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia and Zambia.

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