Rhodesia poll count queried

Press, 24 April 1979, Page 8

Rhodesia poll count queried

NZPA-Reuter Salisbury

Counting has started to! discover who has won Rhodesia’s first General Election after a pledge of support from Rhodesia’s closest ally, South Africa, for the new black majority government. But the accuracy of the final percentage announced by the Government on Sunday night — 63.9 per cent of a total electorate of 2.9 M black and white voters — was questioned closely at a press conference given by the Election Directorate on Sunday night. South Africa became the first country to publicly endorse the announced figure of nearly two-thirds of the electorate as “a complete rejection of terrorism and a clear approval of the constitutional road to indepen-i dence.”

However, the chairman of the directorate (Mr Malcolm Thompson) was asked retedly about the official figures which gave a poll of more than 100 per cent in ! two of the eight electoral districts.

“I hope you will accept the honesty of the figures available.” he said. Officials added that the! total electorate estimate had been drawn up by indepen-l dent experts on the basis of! projections from a 1969; census.

Mr Thompson said estimates for individual districts | could be wrong. “You can misestimate over and under [throughout the country — ! underestimating in some p r o v i i c e s and overestimating in others.” Mashonaland Central, ai triangular area in Northern! Rhodesia, and neighbouring; Mashonaland West recorded!

i total polls of 108 per cent and 100.8 per cent respectively. Government officials said the disparity between the estimated electorate and ac-

tual votes cast could be explained by the inaccuracy of initial provincial figures, emigration of people to the cities and from province to province, and abduction by guerrillas. They believed the nationwide electorate estimated was right. Although Mr Thompson did admit at the press conference that “anyone can argue on the national figures,” and said some estimates put the figure as high as three or 3.5 M. The voting analysis also showed the effects of the war and displayed a deep divide between the majority ■Shona tribe, with their high : voting record, and minority Ndebele of southern and western Rhodesia. The Manicaland and Vic- , toria provinces along the! eastern border — regions heavily infiltrated by theli Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army of the Patriotic Front joiqt leader) Robert Mugabe — both re-1,

I corded turn-outs of less than 450 ner cent li Officials of the Election ■{Directorate said ballot boxes '(had been brought into the '{main towns and cities and I counting started yesterday. The result is expected to be known by tomorrow or Thursday. Bishop Abel Muzorewa, who returned from two years of exile in 1977 to rejnounce the guerrilla struggle i and join a biracial internal i settlement, is widely i favoured to become Zimj babwe-Rhodesia’s first black 1 Prime Minister.