News / National
MDC-T's case on challenging the outcome of the July 31 polls to be heard today
14 Aug 2013 at 07:03hrs | Views
THE High Court will today hear the matter in which MDC-T leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party is challenging the outcome of the July 31 elections which gave his arch-rival President Robert Mugabe another five-year mandate.
Mugabe won the presidential vote by about 61%, with Zanu PF party garnering a two-thirds majority in Parliament, but the MDC-T has described the poll outcome as a "monumental farce" and appealed to the Constitutional Court to nullified the elections.
The matter will be heard by High Court judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu this morning.
Tsvangirai is demanding that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commissions (Zec) provide him with all voting material used in the elections to enable his party to adduce evidence to back its poll petition.
Tsvangirai and his MDC-T claim the July 31 vote was was riddled with fraud and should be declared invalid.
Independent local observers and Western powers have also questioned the credibility of the elections, but regional groupings, Sadc and the African Union, were less critical, describing the election as "free and peaceful".
The MDC-T is demanding a forensic examination of the voters' roll, ballots and voter registration slips.
The party has also appealed to the High Court to compel Zec to produce copies of the voters' roll and provide the presidential election results for each constituency.
The MDC-T also alleges that an Israeli company, Nikuv Projects International, was paid $10,5 million to manipulate the voters' roll.
But Mugabe on Monday, while addressing thousands of people at the Heroes' Day commemorations in Harare, warned the MDC-T could be heading for further embarrassment in its quest to challenge the poll outcome at the courts. In apparent reference to the court challenge, Mugabe said: "We have heard they have gone to consult a witchdoctor. Beware: They could be embarking on a futile exercise that could backfire."
The MDC-T has repeatedly accused the Judiciary of siding with Zanu PF.
Mugabe won the presidential vote by about 61%, with Zanu PF party garnering a two-thirds majority in Parliament, but the MDC-T has described the poll outcome as a "monumental farce" and appealed to the Constitutional Court to nullified the elections.
The matter will be heard by High Court judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu this morning.
Tsvangirai is demanding that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commissions (Zec) provide him with all voting material used in the elections to enable his party to adduce evidence to back its poll petition.
Tsvangirai and his MDC-T claim the July 31 vote was was riddled with fraud and should be declared invalid.
The MDC-T is demanding a forensic examination of the voters' roll, ballots and voter registration slips.
The party has also appealed to the High Court to compel Zec to produce copies of the voters' roll and provide the presidential election results for each constituency.
The MDC-T also alleges that an Israeli company, Nikuv Projects International, was paid $10,5 million to manipulate the voters' roll.
But Mugabe on Monday, while addressing thousands of people at the Heroes' Day commemorations in Harare, warned the MDC-T could be heading for further embarrassment in its quest to challenge the poll outcome at the courts. In apparent reference to the court challenge, Mugabe said: "We have heard they have gone to consult a witchdoctor. Beware: They could be embarking on a futile exercise that could backfire."
The MDC-T has repeatedly accused the Judiciary of siding with Zanu PF.
Source - NewsDay
