Staff ReporterZANU PF’s National Political Commissar, Mike Bimha, has announced that the results of the primary elections held over the weekend will not be considered official until they have been discussed in the politburo. Bimha made the statement at a press conference held at the party’s headquarters in Harare on Monday.
Despite some government officials, such as Ministry of Information permanent secretary Nick Mangwana, announcing results on social media platforms, Bimha clarified that these results are only preliminary and not final.
Bimha emphasized that only the national command centre has the mandate to announce official results, stating, “The official results of the primary elections are announced by the national command centre at the party headquarters.”
While results may be shared on Twitter by other sources, Bimha cautioned that they are not official until announced by the national command centre. He urged for thorough verification of the results, saying, “We need to be very thorough and verify these results. In most areas, results are posted at the centre and they remain unofficial.”
Bimha also noted that the results are subject to discussion in the Politburo, and only after this can they be considered final. He announced that an ad-hoc special tribunal is set to meet the following day to address complaints raised by some candidates.
The primary elections have been highly anticipated, as they will determine the party’s candidates for the upcoming general election. With tensions high, Bimha’s announcement provides some clarity on the status of the results and the process for their announcement.
