By ETimes
A top American market research firm, Fitch Solutions, expects the ruling Zanu PF party to win a majority of seats in the parliamentary elections amid the current social and economic challenges in the country.
In the last legislative segment of the poll, Zanu PF secured more than a two-thirds majority in parliament, winning 179 out of 270 seats.
While the majority of markets are going to hold presidential and legislative elections this year, Fitch Solutions said they will be highly contested elections.
As a result of the lack of trust in the electoral process and its institutions, the market research firm said they will either cause unrest or result in results that are not accepted.
“In Zimbabwe, we expect the ruling party to retain the majority in Parliament in the July general elections due to incumbents’ advantage balking outcome,” Fitch said in its Sub-Saharan Africa Macroeconomic Update: Key Themes For 2023.
“The opposition party’s strong performance in the by-elections in the first quarter of last year and the history of international observers questioning the fairness of previous results will likely result in a contested outcome.”
Fitch said the Southern Africa region will continue to underperform largely due to slowdowns in South Africa and Angola – Harare