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Zimbabwe Opposition Confirms Court Challenge To Election Results

  Zimbabwe’s MDC opposition party on Wednesday confirmed it would launch a legal challenge to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s narrow election victory, which it says was … Continue reading Zimbabwe Opposition Confirms Court Challenge To Election Results


Zimbabwean opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance president Nelson Chamisa (C) arrives at the Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare, on August 2, 2018 to visit hospitalised victims following clashes between opposition supporters and security forces. Soldiers and police clear the streets of Harare a day after a deadly crackdown on protestors. The Zimbabwe Election Commission is preparing to release results of the contested presidential election from 2000 GMT on August 2, 2018, a spokesman told AFP. “The presidential election results will start to be announced around 10 pm,” ZEC commissioner Qhubani Moyo said. “We are hopeful that all of them will be announced today.” Jekesai NJIKIZANA / AFP
Zimbabwean opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance president Nelson Chamisa (C) arrives in Harare. bJekesai NJIKIZANA / AFP

 

Zimbabwe’s MDC opposition party on Wednesday confirmed it would launch a legal challenge to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s narrow election victory, which it says was due to fraud.

“Those results represent a total negation of the will of the people,” MDC lawyer Thabani Mpofu told reporters. “The election results made by ZEC (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) will be challenged.”

Mpofu declined to give the date when the legal case will be lodged, which is set to delay Mnangagwa’s inauguration.

Under Zimbabwean law, the deadline for filing the challenge is Friday. The Constitutional Court must rule on the petition within 14 days.

“Evidence derives from ZEC’s figures that in our view grossly mathematically fail totally,” said Mpofu.

“We have what we require for the purposes not just of mounting a credible and sustainable challenge, but that will yield a vacation of the entire process announced by ZEC.

“We are convinced once this has been placed before a court, there will only be one outcome.”

The MDC headquarters were raided by authorities in what Mpofu described as “an attempt to destroy our evidence”, but he said their data was “secure”.

He gave no details about the evidence of alleged fraud, promising to reveal “a secret weapon” in court.

Mnangagwa, a former ally of ousted Robert Mugabe, narrowly retained power in last week’s landmark vote, but the MDC has repeatedly said it actually won.

The president, the ruling ZANU-PF party and the electoral commission have dismissed charges of cheating.

AFP