Zimbabwe’s ruling party takes Parliament, sparking protests

Zimbabwe’s ruling party won a majority of seats in Parliament, the country’s electoral commission revealed Wednesday, even as the presidential results are still pending. ZANU-PF took 109 seats while the main opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change, secured 41 in the 210-member House of Assembly. Smaller parties won two other seats and 58 seats have yet to be declared. The commission will say “sometime tomorrow” when it will announce the outcome of Monday’s presidential election. Most of the presidential results are in, officials said, but it is still waiting for agents from all of the 23 candidates to verify them.

This is the first election without Robert Mugabe’s name on the ballot. Mugabe served as the country’s president since its independence in 1980. Hundreds of opposition supporters protested in the capital Wednesday, with trucks filled with security forces circulating the streets and riot police firing tear gas at some of the protesters. The U.S. observer mission warned the delayed result would stir up “suspicions, tensions, and volatility.”