GUTU EAST – THE by-election in Gutu East Constituency has officially concluded, with vote counting now underway following a day of peaceful and orderly voting across all polling stations.
It was a busy yet calm day in Gutu East, as eligible voters turned out to exercise their democratic right to elect a new Member of Parliament.
The seat fell vacant following the expulsion of the former Member of Parliament, Benjamin Ganyiwa, from ZANU PF.
Voting commenced at 7am, with all 57 polling stations across 10 wards opening on time. This news crew visited several centres including Chingombe, Muchekayaora, Aleight, Ndisengei, Gudza, and Munyikwa, where the voting process was reported to be smooth and efficient.
“I am excited that today, as Gutu East, we are voting for a representative in Parliament. It means from now on, we will have a leader to spearhead development in our area,” an enthusiastic voter said.
“I am happy that the voting process was very smooth. We did not take much time, and as you can see, the officers here are very efficient,” a voter said.
Presiding officers at various polling stations also confirmed that the environment was calm, secure, and conducive for voting.
“We opened our polling station here at Muchekayaora at exactly 7am, and the process has been going on well,” one presiding officer said.
“The environment is peaceful, and we are able to carry out our duties without any disruptions,” added another.
According to Mr Ernest Mukwidza, the Gutu East Constituency Elections Officer, all polling stations officially closed at 7pm.
The process of ballot verification and vote counting commenced shortly afterwards.
“We expect the collation of results to take place during the night, with official announcements likely to be made between midnight and the early hours of Sunday morning,” he said.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has maintained that the entire voting process in Gutu East has been conducted in line with electoral standards, with no major incidents reported.
