Mugabe wins enough seats to change constitution

President Robert Mugabe’s ruling party won a two-thirds majority in parliamentary elections, giving him the necessary majority to press ahead with his plans to change the constitution to further strengthen his grip on power, interim results showed.

According to the interim results released today, the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) won 71 seats, compared with 39 for the Movement for Democratic Change.

An independent candidate gained one seat and nine results were still outstanding.

Mugabe has long said he aimed for a two thirds majority to enable him to amend the constitution and establish a second parliamentary chamber – a senate.

Critics accuse him of wanting to pack the chamber with his cronies.