THE main opposition MDC-T yesterday filed a Constitutional Court challenge seeking to bar the nomination courts from sitting to consider nomination of parliamentary candidates for the Mount Darwin West and Chirumanzi-Zibagwe constituencies, arguing the process was flawed.
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Party spokesman Obert Gutu said the MDC-T national executive met in Harare and resolved to launch the legal challenge after noting that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) had failed to conduct voter registration for new voters and did not have control of the voters’ roll.
“We filed an urgent court application through our lawyer Chris Mhike seeking the nullification of the sitting of the nomination court to receive nominations of candidates for the by-elections,” Gutu said.
The two seats fell vacant following the elevation of Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa and former Vice-President Joice Mujuru to the presidium.
The MDC-T and Zapu have ruled out participation in the by-elections slated for March 27 this year, demanding electoral and media reforms to even the playing field.
Although the Welshman Ncube-led MDC has not yet spelt out its position, the NCA led by Lovemore Madhuku yesterday confirmed its participation in the by-elections.
Zanu PF is being represented by Barnwell Seremwe (Mount Darwin West) and Auxillia Mnangagwa (Chirimanzu-Zibagwe).
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NCA spokesman Madock Chivasa said his party would contest the polls to test its popularity.
“We are working on our structures and testing our popularity in these by-elections. To that end, we are fielding Reuben Mafigu (Mount Darwin West) and Munashe Mutodza (Chirimanzu-Zibagwe),” he said.
Zanu PF, which has enjoyed control of the seats since the constituencies were created after 1990 and 2008 respectively, is highly tipped to retain the seats.
Meanwhile, MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday visited Epworth suburb where he witnessed the collapsed infrastructure and squalid conditions residents were living under.
“For a long time, I didn’t know how you survive. What I have seen is that you stay like animals,” Tsvangirai said.
