Talk:Zimbabwean parliamentary election, 2008

Party colors

Are the party colors shown in the results tables right? I remember seeing them reversed (i.e. green for ZANUPF, red for MDC-T) in some website Habbit (talk) 23:41, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

Concretely this one. If no-one answers in a few hours, I'll perform the change. Habbit (talk) 01:23, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

Senate results

Where did these initial Senate results (for only three seats) come from? I haven't been able to find this information anywhere. Everyking (talk) 23:18, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

My thoughts exactly. However, given that the ZEC website is inaccessible for me, I can't be sure on whether or not they are official. Habbit (talk) 23:38, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

The ZEC website has been down at least since election day, so the numbers didn't come from there. Nor can I find any news site reporting that any Senate results have been released, aside from the one seat where ZANU-PF was unopposed. Everyking (talk) 00:03, 3 April 2008 (UTC)

I'm wondering: maybe the presidential appointees will have to wait for the new president to be elected, but, aren't chiefs and provincial governors already known? We should enter such data in the table if that is the case.Habbit (talk) 20:41, 4 April 2008 (UTC)

Governors are appointed by the president as well. I believe the chiefs are chosen in a separate, indirect election; at least that's how it was when the House of Assembly had seats reserved for chiefs. Everyking (talk) 08:31, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

Someone probably should compile popular vote totals from this link, mh? —Nightstallion 21:46, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Map of Constituency winners

Can someone put up or create a map of the constituency winners on a district-by-district basis? Poldy Bloom (talk) 03:26, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

Well, if you have a free (as in freedom) SVG map of this year's constituencies, it's just a matter of coloring it. However, we only have maps of the country's provinces available in Commons. Habbit (talk) 09:43, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

Answering myself, I'll announce that I'm making such a map. I'm no Inkscape wizard, so don't expect extreme quality, but it will serve the purpose. Currently 2/10 provinces are completed.Habbit (talk) 15:23, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

The map is progressing nicely, but I can't find info on the geographic distribution of the constituencies in the provinces of Harare and Midlands. Anyone willing to help? Habbit (talk) 23:57, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

The Herald

A word of warning. I notice that the Herald is used in several places as a source. Although it can be used to confirm something like a person's arrest, please keep in mind that it is a propaganda source for Mugabe and thus should be used carefully - thanks. John Smith's (talk) 16:02, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Independence of clones effect

Editor User:Intelligent Mr Toad removed the sentence about the independence of clones effect arguing (in the edit summary) that the article pointed to was nonsensical. I reverted, asking why he thought such a thing, and the answer was (in the edit summary of another reversion) because it is "unsourced, speculative and original research". I don't know what part of the article is "speculative" or "unsourced" to him, since it is a plain description of a problem that many voting systems have, and I believe that the WP:NOR rule does not apply here since it covers a quasi-mathematical fact that is "proven" in the article itself. Besides, I think the explanation about how "clones" are "bad" in FPTP systems is informative for the reader and, overall, good for the article.

Thus, I'd want to start a debate on the issue here. Do you think the IoC article is nonsensical? Is it worth mentioning it here? If it is, how should the sentence be phrased? Habbit (talk) 19:24, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

The whole article is unsourced - as in it cites no sources, as the box at the top makes clear. The article is pure speculation and completely self-referential. It asserts that "The independence of clones criterion states that the addition of a candidate identical to one already present in an election will not cause the winner of the election to change", and then sets out to prove that assertion mathematically. Providing proofs for esoteric statistical theories is not the function of an encyclopaedia. Either this argument is of the author's own invention, in which case it is original research, or else it is copied from somewhere else, in which case it is unattributed plagiarism. In relation to this article the link adds nothing to the discussion. The phrase "independence of clones criterion" is a piece of esoteric jargon that will mean nothing to readers. Intelligent Mr Toad (talk) 08:32, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, I agree with you on the esoteric look of the term. However, the fact that it is "unsourced" does not, as I say, apply in this case. The only rule of application could be WP:NOR, but, as I remarked, it explains a well-known fact, which is: first past the post election systems prioritize united over divided parties. Moreover, it mathematecally proves it, so I don't really think it needs references. As the "unsourced" tag explains, information can be "challenged and removed". Does the fact that the article has been so tagged for 6 months ring any bell? By the way, I did not write or edit the article, if that's what you suspect. Habbit (talk) 20:41, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Firstly, Wikipedia requires that articles be sourced, whether you and/or the author of the article think so or not. Secondly, it is not the role of encyclopaedia articles to prove or disprove hypotheses. I ask again: did the author of the article devise this proof him/herself? If so, it is original research. If not, it is unattributed to whoever did devise it and is thus plagiarism. But the real point is that the link from this article to that article is of no help to readers. The issue here is; did the intervention of Mutambara's candidates help or hurt the MDC's chances of depriving ZANU-PF of its majority? That is a matter on which opinions are no doubt divided. This article should quote the opinions of relevant people in Zimbabwe, not link to obscure speculative articles that do not address the issue at hand. Intelligent Mr Toad (talk) 09:21, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Change

There are a leaders and own statistics in the upper right. İn bottom, there are green, red, and yellow. Please sort by colors the leaders and statistics. ZANU-PF - green, MDC-M - red, MDC-T - yellow. change the places of leaders, image of leaders and statitics. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.235.221.95 (talk) 13:05, 25 August 2010 (UTC)

Merge

This page should be merged with Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008, because this was a general election, as it occurred on the same day. Charles Essie (talk) 02:41, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

Fully agree. Number 57 21:47, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

I agree also, the United States elections, 2012 is an example of this being done. GiraffeBoy (talk) 09:27, 29 September 2014 (UTC)