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Final report on Budiriro Parliamentary By-Election
Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN)
May 25, 2006

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Executive summary
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change, anti senate faction's candidate Emmanuel Chisvuure beat the ZANU PF candidate, Jeremiah Bvirindi and Gabriel Chaibva of the MDC's pro senate faction in the Budiriro parliamentary by-election that was marred by a low voter turn out. Chisvuure polled 7 949 votes while Bvirindi and Chaibva polled 3 961 and 504 votes respectively.

The by-election held on 20 May 2006 following the death of the MDC Member of Parliament Gilbert Shoko, was also characterized by a significantly high number of voters who were turned away. The reasons for being turned away included being classified as aliens, the use of a drivers' licence as an identification document and not being on the voters' roll. Previously the drivers' licence has been an acceptable form of identification and most of the voters who were turned away claimed that they had voted in that constituency in the March 2005 general elections using the drivers' licence, in accordance with the Electoral Act which has not been amended since then. (see legal framework).

The Budiriro by-election was important to the MDC, particularly in view of its current internal strife during which it has been effectively divided into two separate parties. Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the pro-senate faction, described this election as a litmus test for the MDC. He will therefore view Chisvuure's victory as an endorsement of his leadership of the party. In spite of the low turn out, the results of the election have confirmed that Budiriro is still an MDC stronghold.

While both the MDC and ZANU PF appeared to have lost the faith of some of their urban voters, MDC is evidently more affected as its combined 8 453 votes are a pale shadow of the 17053 votes it garnered in the March 2005 parliamentary election. In fact, it is remarkable that the MDC votes have been gradually declining since 2000 when it polled 21 053 votes against ZANU PF's 4 410. On the other hand ZANU PF support has fluctuated since 2000 when it got 4 410 votes, 4 082 in 2002 and 4 886 in 2005.

Although the by-election recorded a low turn out of only 12 480 votes, this was not lowest ever turn out for a parliamentary by-election. The Harare Central by-election of August 2003, recorded a mere 4 036 votes or 11% of the registered voters. This parliamentary by-election turn out also favourably compares to the 2003 Makonde parliamentary by-election that had 12 992 voters.

ZESN observed both the pre-election and the polling period, which were generally without incident. However, there were a few skirmishes on 12 May when four houses belonging to ZANU PF supporters were vandalized, by alleged MDC supporters. On the eve of the by-election, Gabriel Chaibva was arrested alongside his party leader, Arthur Mutambara and more than fifty supporters. They were later released without charge. On election day, a group of about ten people indiscriminately assaulted patrons at Equalizer Bar, approximately fifty metres from Budiriro No.5 B Shopping Centre polling station injuring four people in the process. Two people were arrested in connection with this incident.

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