House of Assembly
The members were sworn into office starting at 10 a.m. by clerk of Parliament Austin Zvoma; however, Shuwa Mudiwa and Eliah Jembere of the House of Assembly were arrested and destined by police prior to the opening of the ceremony. Mudiwa was later released and sworn into office, but Jembere remained in custody. In addition, the MDC announced that 15 of its members would not appear because they are in hiding from intimidation and violence.
The secret-ballot election of the House speaker pitted Lovemore Moyo (MDC-T) against Paul Themba Nyathi (MDC-M); ZANU-PF declined fielding a candidate against the two, opting to back the MDC-M candidate instead. Moyo won the vote with 110 against Nyathi's 98. A deputy speaker, Nomalanga Khumalo (MDC-M, Umzingwane), was also elected. Moyo reportedly received 99 votes from MDC-T MPs, seven votes from MDC-M MPs, and four votes from ZANU-PF MPs, but the breakdown of results could not be known for certain because the vote was secret. Independent MP Jonathan Moyo also backed Nyathi.
ZANU-PF's Emmerson Mnangagwa described Moyo's election as "a truly historic event" and expressed his congratulations on behalf of Mugabe and ZANU-PF. Following his election as Speaker, Moyo predicted that Parliament would henceforth be a meaningful check on the executive, which would need to "find ways of negotiating with the legislature in order to put through programs". It was clear from the voting figures that many of the MDC-M MPs voted against their own party's candidate for Speaker, and this was considered a serious blow to Mugabe; it meant that he could not rely on the MDC-M MPs to vote with ZANU-PF and as a result might not be able to control a parliamentary majority even with the support of the MDC-M leadership.
Read more about this topic: Seventh Zimbabwean Parliament, Election of Speakers
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