MDC wins two by-elections, police step up security

As Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) celebrated two by-election victories on Monday, the country's security forces were setting up road blocks ahead of an opposition deadline for the government to meet demands on political reforms. Delighted over winning the Harare seats of Highfield and Kuwadzana at the weekend, MDC information director Nkanyiso Maqeda told IRIN: "We couldn't be happier. This is a victory over oppression. The people have shown their resilience against all odds. They have had enough of the hunger and intimidation that has become part of their daily lives." Electoral Supervisory Commission (ESC) spokesman Thomas Bvuma told IRIN that in Highfield, MDC candidate Pearson Mungofa won 8,759 votes against his closest rival ZANU-PF's Joseph Chinotimba's 4,844. In Kuwadzana, the MDC's Nelson Chamisa scooped 12,548 to ZANU-PF's David Mutasa's 5,022 ballots. The seats were seen as a crucial test for the MDC who had lost a string of recent by-elections to the ruling ZANU-PF. Losing seats in their urban stronghold would also have allowed ZANU-PF to inch closer to the two-thirds majority required to make constitutional amendments. The conduct of the elections were also seen as crucial for the future stability of the country. The police and the ESC said their investigations into complaints of violence and intimidation had not turned up any evidence. But Bidi Munyaradzi, national director of the human rights NGO ZimRights, which had been among the poll monitoring groups, disagreed. He said his organisation would release a report on Tuesday. Among those arrested was MDC vice-president Gibson Sibanda, who was picked-up on Monday in Zimbabwe's second city of Bulawayo. Assistant Commissioner of Police Wayne Bvudzijena told IRIN that although he was not yet in a position to provide details, Sibanda's arrest was related to alleged activities in an MDC-run stayaway on 18 and 19 March. The two-day stayaway, called to protest government policies, was followed by an MDC ultimatum demanding the release of political prisoners and respect for civil liberties, backed by the threat of more mass action after 31 March. Bvudzijena said the police were aware of the MDC's ultimatum and the Ministry of Home Affairs had ordered increased policing in urban areas in anticipation of "acts of criminality". "During the two days of mass action the MDC said they would be peaceful but it turned out to be something else," Bvudzijena said. "Three-hundred-and-sixty-two MDC activists were arrested on allegations relating to dynamite and petrol bombings." He said this included some of the party's top leadership. Zimbabwe's security forces were widely reported to have cracked down sharply on those perceived to be MDC supporters in the wake of the stayaway. The two by-election constituencies were also allegedly targeted.