Zimbabwe's ruling Zany-PF emerged winner of Saturday's (Feb.03) by-elections held in Mashonaland East province.
Zimbabwe's ruling party secures supermajority in Parliament
In this photo taken Dec. 17, 2016, Zimbabwean Deputy President Emmerson Mnanangagwa chants the party slogan at a Zanu PF conference in Masvingo, Zimbabwe.
-
Copyright © africanews
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Copyright 2017 The AP. All rights reserved.
The party secured significant victories in several key constituencies, including Seke and Goromonzi South, and even achieved a clean sweep in the Marondera district.
When general elections were last held ZANU-PF was 10 seats short of the two-thirds majority in parliament, now after a series of disputed by-elections it has attained that goal.
Zanu PF now holds 190 seats in the National Assembly.
Securing this supermajority in the 280-member parliament, the party moves closer to changing the constitution if it wishes.
The election came amid a political crisis in the country which has been growing since the group of MPs with the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) had their seats declared vacant in October.
Just over two years at the helm of the Citizens Coalition for Change, opposition leader Nelson Chamisa announced on January 25 he was leaving the opposition party saying it has been “hijacked” by the ruling party.