Mashonaland East province provides the largest number of seats being challenged by the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance party, which is seeking to reverse Zanu PF’s parliamentary majority in the just-ended July 30 watershed polls.
BY Everson Mushava
MDC Alliance secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora, who is leading the party’s committee challenging parliamentary results, said eight of the 18 seats being challenged at the High Court were from Mashonaland East province.
“So far, we have filed 18 parliamentary petitions. Eight are from Mashonaland East, three from Manicaland, one Bulawayo, one from Midlands, two from Masvingo, one from Mashonaland Central and one from Mashonaland West,” Mwonzora said.
“We are still compiling some because they are supposed to be 21 all in all. So far 18 have been filed at the Electoral Court at the High Court.”
Mutasa North, Mutare West, Murehwa North, Mutoko North, Mutoko South, Mutoko East, Chikomba Central, Marondera West, Mudzi North, Harare South, Bikita South, Bikita East were among the constituencies whose outcome have been challenged.
Harare South was won by President-elect Emmerson Mnangagwa’s relative, Tongai, in a close contest with former Zanu PF MP and now MDC Alliance candidate Shadreck Mashayamombe.
Zanu PF won 145 of the 210 seats contested on July 30, with the MDC Alliance pulling 63, while National Patriotic Front’s Masango Matambanadzo bagged one and independent candidate Temba Mliswa took the remaining seat.
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Chamisa, who got 44,3% of the presidential vote, has already challenged the presidential vote that gave Mnangagwa a slim victory of 50,8%, alleging gross irregularities.
Mnangagwa has, however, defended his victory, accusing Chamisa of political grandstanding arguing that his protagonist’s petition was not backed by compelling evidence.
One of the Zanu PF leader’s lawyers, Advocate Lewis Uriri has described Chamisa’s evidence as flimsy.
Mwonzora said his party would file challenges for the remaining three seats within the 21 days mandated by the Constitution.
Regional observer missions have endorsed the outcome of the July 30 elections that was rocked by post-poll violence that claimed seven lives as soldiers opened fire in crowded Harare streets, but Western countries have raised a red flag over the way the polls were conducted.
