APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) Zimbabwe’s Supreme Court on Thursday set aside a High Court decision to ban 12 opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) candidates from contesting in this month’s general elections for allegedly failing to file nomination papers on time.
In an unanimous decision, a three-member Supreme Court bench ruled in favour of the CCC candidates who were challenging a ruling by the Bulawayo High Court to disqualify them on the grounds that the submitted their nomination papers after the 4pm (1400 GMT) cut-off time on June 21.
Lawyer for the aspiring candidates Thabani Mpofu had argued that the High Court’s decision should be overturned since the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) had confirmed that the CCC members had filed their nomination papers on time.
He said the High Court decision had put the credibility of ZEC in question.
The High Court ruling had handed the governing ZANU PF an unfair advantage, given that three of its parliamentary candidates – including Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube – would have won seats unopposed in Bulawayo.
In nine other constituencies, ZANU PF was left facing smaller opposition parties and independents.
The Supreme Court decision has avoided a potentially challenging situation for ZEC, with CCC leader Nelson Chamisa threatening to boycott general elections set for August 23 unless the 12 parliamentary candidates remained barred.
He accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa of staging “a coup on the ballot” by using the courts to eliminate opponents.
JN/APA