Zimbabwean parliamentary election, 1990

Parliamentary elections were held in Zimbabwe on 23 March 1990, alongside simultaneous presidential elections. They were the first elections to be contested under the amended constitution of 1987, which established an executive presidency and abolished the Senate. They were also the first ever elections in the country to be contested on a single roll, i.e. with no separate voting for whites and blacks.

Results

The elections resulted in a huge victory for Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF, as they took 117 of the 120 elected seats (30 more were appointed by the President). Given that the Zimbabwean political scene was classified as Restricted Democratic Practice at the time, it is unlikely that the elections were free and fair; Zimbabwe Unity Movement supporters were the targets of violent attacks from supporters of ZANU-PF and five candidates were murdered. When ZUM student representative, Israel Mutanhaurwa, was abducted in broad daylight by suspected state agents at the local cinemas in Gweru and later dumped unharmed on the outskirts of Mkoba a local surbub, no-one was arrested or convicted of the crime. Those convicted of the attempted murder of former Gweru Mayor Patrick Kombayi, who was shot in lower abdomen but survived the shooting, were pardoned immediately afterwards.




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