Zim’s Mnangagwa welcomes court ruling
Zimbabwe court dismisses MDC’s application to overturn election result.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday welcomed a court ruling endorsing his election victory after judges threw out an opposition bid to overturn the results over alleged ballot fraud.
“I once again reiterate my call for peace and unity above all,” Mnangagwa said on Twitter. “Let us all now put our differences behind us. It is time to move forward together.”
Zimbabwe’s top court yesterday dismissed an opposition bid to have presidential election results annulled over alleged rigging in favour of Robert Mugabe’s successor, 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 winner of presidential elections held on July 30, 2018.”
Analysts had widely predicted the court would rule against the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party’s legal challenge.
Malaba dismissed the application with costs after strongly criticising the MDC’s case.
Mnangagwa, of the ruling Zanu-PF party, won the election with 50.8% of the vote – just enough to meet the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff against MDC leader Nelson Chamisa, who scored 44.3%.
Lawyers for the MDC had argued that the results should be annulled due to alleged “massive doctoring” of the vote.
Thembinkosi Magwaliba, representing Mnangagwa, had rubbished claims that the opposition had produced any evidence of fraud.
“This application was not seriously done. The applicant is clearly flippant,” he said.
Mnangagwa’s inauguration should now take place within 48 hours of the court’s ruling, according to the constitution
Nine judges, led by Malaba, delivered the unanimous verdict at the court in Harare, amid tight security, even though there were no protests ahead of the ruling.
In a first for the country, the proceedings were broadcast live on state television.
Mnangagwa, who has vowed to revive Zimbabwe’s ruined economy, had hoped the elections would draw a line under Mugabe’s repressive 37-year rule and open up a stream of foreign investment and aid.
Campaigning was more open than previous votes, but the election was marred by the army killing six protesters, allegations of vote rigging and a crackdown on opposition activists.
The MDC has cited a catalogue of discrepancies, including incorrect counting, fake “ghost” polling stations and, at some polling stations, more ballots being counted than there were registered voters.
Derek Matyszak, a legal expert at the University of Zimbabwe, had predicted that the opposition faced an uphill struggle given the courts’ historic tilt towards ZanuPF, which has ruled since independence from British colonial rule in 1980.
“The outcome was pretty predictable,” Matyszak said.