APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) A dark cloud is hanging over Zimbabwe’s eagerly awaited general elections amid accusations that the governing ZANU PF is trying to commit “a coup on the ballot” after allegedly engineering the disqualification of 12 opposition candidates on a technicality.
With just over three weeks to go before the August 23 elections, main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa on Sunday accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa of effectively nullifying the poll by ordering courts to disqualify 12 CCC parliamentary candidates in the second city Bulawayo.
The 12 had their nomination nullified on the ground that they filed their nomination papers after the 4pm deadline on June 21 this year.
“If you bar the 12 candidates, it means there is no election. It is a coup on the ballot,” Chamisa told supporters in Marondera, about 80km northeast of the capital Harare.
Bulawayo High Court judge Bongani Ndlovu on July 27 ruled against the opposition candidates.
The judge upheld a challenge by ZANU PF activists who argued that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) breached electoral regulations after it accepted the opposition party’s nomination papers past the deadline.
However, ZEC confirmed that the papers were filed on time.
Even more curious is how ruling party activists would have access to the ZEC database.
“It is a vote of no confidence on the elections; vote of no confidence on ZEC,” Chamisa said.
The opposition party has appealed to the Supreme Court to have the lower court ruling set aside.
Unconfirmed reports say at least 50 aspiring Zanu PF candidates also missed the 4pm nomination deadline on June 21.
Over 6.6 million Zimbabweans are expected to cast ballots to select a president, members of parliament and local government councillors in what is billed to be a two-horse race between Mnangagwa and Chamisa, as well as their two parties.
JN/APA