ZEC orders recount in 23 constituencies
ZEC orders recount in 23 constituenciesBy Kingsley Kaswende in Harare and Laura Mushaukwa in Lusaka
Monday April 14, 2008 [04:00]
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has ordered a recount of ballots in 23 parliamentary constituencies, as the ruling ZANU-PF seeks to overturn its minority in the House following last month's elections.
ZEC is already recounting the presidential ballots while the results are still pending since the voting took place 16 days ago. Harare High Court judge Tendai Uchena is today expected to give a ruling in a case in which opposition MDC dragged ZEC to court in a bid to compel the electoral body to release the results.
ZEC chairperson justice George Chiweshe on Saturday said the commission had "reasonable grounds" to believe that the votes in the constituencies had been miscounted and would affect the election results.
He said all votes that were cast in the presidential, House of Assembly, Senate and council elections would be recounted on Saturday this week.
"We are going to give notice because the parties and candidates should be part of the process just as required in an election," justice Chiweshe said. "All votes cast for each election in the respective constituencies will be recounted since it is the same process that resulted in the complaints that were raised."
Justice Chiweshe said observers, party representatives and election candidates would be allowed to witness the process, which will be conducted at designated constituency centres. He said the queries were raised within 48 hours of the elections as stipulated by the electoral Act.
But the MDC has rejected the recounts, arguing that the ballot boxes have been tampered with, as they were left without the watchful eyes of their agents.
The affected constituencies include Chimanimani West, Mutare West, Bikita West, Bikita South, Bulilima East, Zhombe, Zaka West, Zvimba North, Silobela, Chiredzi North, Gokwe-Kabuyuni and Buhera South.
Others are Lupane East, Mberengwa East, West, North and South, Masvingo Central, Masvingo West, Gutu South, North and Central and Goromonzi West.
And Council of Churches in Zambia general secretary Reverend Susan Matale expressed hope that the regional leadership would prevail on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to ensure that he gracefully bowed out of power.
Commenting on the Zimbabwean crisis, Rev Matale said there was need for President Mugabe to relinquish his position to give chance to new leadership.
Rev Matale said although President Mugabe was a great liberation leader, the time had come for him to hand over the reins of power to a new leadership for Zimbabwe to move forward.
"He has done tremendously well in the past. He is a great liberation leader but I think it is time that he took a rest, a well deserved rest so that a new leadership can take over to allow Zimbabwe to move forward," she said.
"It is important that Zimbabwean people are given an opportunity to decide who their leader would be and once they have made that decision, it has to be respected."
Rev Matale called on people in the region to raise their voices in the sense of freedom, democracy, rule of law and human rights for the sake of Zimbabwe.
"Zimbabwe is not an island, it is part of our region and everything that affects Zimbabwe affects us as well," said Rev Matale.
Rev Matale, who intimated that the church in Zambia would soon make their position known on the matter, said Zambians were praying for an amicable resolution to the Zimbabwean crisis.
Labels: ELECTIONS, ZEC, ZIMBABWE
posted by MrK @ 4:44 AM
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