Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) MDC-T wants special vote results nullified
This article was written by Our reporter on 30 July, at 04 : 28 AM

MDC-T has filed an application at the Constitutional Court seeking to nullify the special voting conducted on July 14 and 15, alleging voting was flawed.

The party filed the application immediately after the same court granted the Zimbabwe Election Commission’s application to allow those security officers and ZEC officials who failed to vote by special ballot to join the rest of the citizens tomorrow in exercising their voting right.

MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and the party secretary-general Tendai Biti were second and third applicants in the court application that was filed on Friday afternoon.

ZEC, its chairperson Justice Rita Makarau, and six other officials are listed as respondents in the application.

In his founding affidavit, Mr Tsvangirai stated that special voting was flawed and that it should be declared null and void and that all the police officers, prison officers, soldiers and ZEC officials should start afresh together with the whole nation tomorrow.

“This exercise was marred with several technical and administrative flaws which second respondent (Justice Makarau), acting on first respondent’s (ZEC) behalf, has conceded in an application filed before this Honourable Court under case number CCZ64/13,” read the affidavit.

Mr Tsvangirai indicated that he received disturbing reports of some ballot papers that were picked up on the floor at the Harare International Conference Centre.

This, according to him, reflected that the special vote conducted by ZEC would undermine the credibility of the outcome of the July 31 poll.

“In particular, it has come to the applicants’ attention that first to third respondents (ZEC, Justice Makarau and the chief election officer) have not been diligent with critical issues such as protecting the secrecy of the vote for those who cast the special vote as well as securing the ballots cast in the special voting process.

“This has resulted in some envelopes containing the ballot papers not being secured in ballot boxes and being strewn in the environs of the Harare International Conference Centre from where some of the ballot papers have been picked,” read the affidavit.

Mr Tsvangirai claims his election agents received the copies of the ballot papers from some unknown people and brought them to the party’s attention.

He argued the alleged failure to ensure the safekeeping of the electoral material showed ZEC reneged on its constitutional duties as set out in Section 156(c) (ii) of the Constitution.

It is Mr Tsvangirai’s contention that ZEC’s failure to ensure the safekeeping of the election material infringed on MDC-T’s right to administrative justice as well as their political rights.

TH-TZG

posted by MrK @ 4:03 PM