Zimbabwe Court Dismisses Opposition Bid To Annul Election

Zimbabwe’s top court on Friday dismissed an opposition bid to have presidential election results annulled over alleged rigging in favour of Robert Mugabe’s successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“In the final analysis, the court finds the applicant has failed to place before it clear, direct, sufficient and credible evidence” of irregularities, said Chief Justice Luke Malaba in his ruling at the Constitutional Court in Harare.

“Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa is duly declared the winner of presidential elections held on the 30th of July 2018.”

Analysts had widely predicted the court would rule against the opposition MDC party’s case.

Malaba dismissed the application with costs after strongly criticising the legal challenge.

Lawyers for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition had argued that the results should be annulled due to alleged “massive doctoring” of the vote.

Mnangagwa, of the ruling ZANU-PF party, won the election with 50.8 percent of the vote — just enough to meet the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a run-off against MDC leader Nelson Chamisa, who scored 44.3 percent.