MDC launches election petition

The MDC-T today filed its election petition with the Constitutional Court under which they are seeking to have the July 31 elections declared null and void.

Mwonzora
Mwonzora

In the application, filed under case number CCZ71/13, the MDC-T is seeking to have the outcome of the elections declared null and void according to Section 93 of the constitution, calling for fresh polls within 60 days.

Addressing journalists after filing the application, MDC-T spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora, said his party noted several irregularities concerning the elections, ranging from bribery of the electorate, issuing out of foodstuffs, the issue of fake voter registration slips, intimidation as well as forced assistance given to MDC-T supporters by Zanu (PF) officials in casting votes.

Mwonzora cited the involvement of security forces, traditional leaders as well as the disenfranchisement of a huge chunk of the electorate as reasonable grounds for declaring the elections null and void.

Mwonzora said his party had sufficient evidence to prove that the elections were marred by serious inconsistencies that go against the conduct of democratic elections.

“We will be providing both oral and physical evidence. We will also be providing the pots and the flasks as well as electronic evidence. We also have evidence that there are about 800, 000 duplicated names on the voters’ roll,” said Mwonzora.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the Registrar General of Voters and President Robert Mugabe are cited as respondents in the application.

Meanwhile, the case in which MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai is seeking an order compelling ZEC to supply him with election materials and information he intends to use in drafting his main election challenge has been set down for hearing on Wednesday.

The date was issued today when the case was heard before Justice Chinembiri Bhunu in chambers.

Tsvangirai’s application cites ZEC Chief Elections Officer, Lovemore Sekeramayi, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the Registrar General of Voters, Tobaiwa Mudede, and President Robert Mugabe as first, second, third and fourth respondents, respectively.

Tsvangirai’s application contains a total of 14 demands and he argues that ZEC cannot be in a position to meet them unless a court order compels them to do so.

Among Tsvangirai’s demands include full presidential results per constituency, copies of the voters’ roll used in all constituencies, copies of voters’ roll used during special voting, a register of people who managed or failed to cast their votes, a register of uniformed forces who failed to cast their votes on the day of special voting as well as copies of the electronic voters’ roll as at July 31.

Reads part of the application: “For the purpose of preparing and filing my election petition, I intend to study and analyse the election material used in the election to partly support my contention that the election conducted on 31 July 2013 produced an undue return.”

The application contended as well that the special voting process was chaotic and could have been used to manipulate the outcome of the harmonised elections.

In another matter, the case of former Member of Parliament for Mount Pleasant, Jameson Timba, who is challenging the results for the constituency, will be heard on July 14.

Timba lost to Jaison Passade of Zanu (PF). In his application Timba is seeking an order “to be able to open and inspect electoral records for Mt Pleasant” as provided in “terms of Section 70 (4) to (8) of the Act”.

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