2 court applications to remove Saviour Kasukuwere from ballot

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) on Friday published the final list of candidates to take part in general elections on August 23, even as legal challenges continue to the presence of some candidates.

In an extraordinary gazette, ZEC listed 11 presidential election candidates including Saviour Kasukuwere, whose approval to stand is being challenged in at least two court applications.

ZEC also listed all the candidates for the National Assembly, Senate, Provincial Councils, Local Authorities, National Assembly Youth Quota and National Assembly Women's Quota.

The list confirmed that the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has over three dozen double candidates in National Assembly races, which the party is challenging in court, accusing some of the contestants of forging signatures.

In one constituency, Harare South, CCC has three candidates listed as standing for the party against Zanu-PF's Trymore Kanupula.

Kasukuwere, who lives in exile in South Africa, is listed as duly nominated although he faces two court applications in the High Court and the Electoral Court from Zanu-PF activists who argue that he should be disqualified for being out of the country for over 18 uninterrupted months, and therefore is not "ordinarily resident" in Zimbabwe as required by law. The matters are pending.

ZEC is set to proceed and print ballot papers for the elections, unless it is indicted by a court from doing so pending the finalisation of the court applications.

Political analysts project that the fight for the presidency will be close between President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the leader of Zanu-PF, and opposition challenger Nelson Chamisa of the CCC.