Zim opposition cries foul as constituencies erased

Zim opposition cries foul as constituencies erased

MUGABE

• MDC: 'Delimitation an exercise in deception'

• Delimitation commission erases MDC constituencies

• Mugabe swears in delimitation commission

• Zimbabwe voters' roll 'inflated by a million'

• Mugabe bars Western observers from polls

• Tsvangirai warns of Zimbabwe 'inferno'

• Call off boycott, Mogae urges MDC

• Two Zanu PF MPs lose seats

• Sparks fly over voters' roll tampering

• Zanu PF tests popularity with membership cards

• Majority Zimbabweans want MDC to stand

• Zimbabwe bars election observers

• Sadc must show its teeth, says Tsvangirai

• Mugabe retains control over elections

• Police swoop on MDC offices

• Zanu PF takes Seke after MDC boycott

• Britain, SA pressure Mugabe over reforms

• MDC threatens poll boycott, withdraws Harare councillors

• Electoral reforms to be tested in by-election

• Nigeria angrily denies funding MDC

• Zim claims Nigeria funding opposition

• 'Mugabe's compliance the litmus test for SADC protocol on democratic polls'

By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE’S opposition Movement for Democratic Change has lost two potential seats in its political strongholds after a government-appointed delimitation commission cut the number of constituencies in urban centres and increased seats in known ruling party strongholds.

The Delimitation Commission's work includes redrawing constituency boundaries folllowing population patterns. The commission said the number of urban voters had reduced, which resulted in the number of seats in the affected areas being cut. There are 120 constituencies in the country.

“There are 5.6 million registered voters in the country, the majority of whom are now living in rural areas,” said Commission chairman Justice George Chiweshe.

The other commissioners are Dr Job Whabira, Dr Charles Mukora and Dr Maclean Bhala, all of whom were handpicked by President Robert Mugabe.
Chiweshe attributed the increase in the number of rural-based voters to the government’s land reform programme which he said had seen a reversal of the rural-urban migration. Under the reform programme however, only about 150 000 people were resettled in the whole country under the government’s land programme.

The provinces which have lost seats are Bulawayo and Harare which each lost one constituency, while the provinces of Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East and Manicaland each gained one constituency. Each constituency is said to have a total of about 46 000 voters.

The commission was appointed in September and took eight weeks to complete its work. The urban areas of Harare and Bulawayo are considered MDC strongholds as the party romped to victory in all the contested seats in the last election in 2000.

Remius Makuwaza, the MDC director of elections, said the “work” of the delimitation commission was a mockery of promises of electoral reforms in the country.
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