HARARE - The MDC has filed election petitions with the Electoral Court challenging the election results for 60 House of Assembly seats won by Zanu (PF), as vote recounts started Saturday.

 

In these challenges, the MDC accuses Zanu (PF) candidates and supporters of vote-buying, intimidating and interfering with presiding election officers and other election malpractices as well as there being an undercounting of its votes in the Parliamentary poll.

 

 

Section 182 of the Electoral Act states that an election petition must be decided by the Electoral Court within six months from the date it is filed. 

 

Section 172 states that the judgment of the Electoral Court is final in matters of fact but an appeal on questions of law can be made to the Supreme Court.

Appeals must decided within six months after being lodged. The MDC challenge follows Zanu (PF)’s challenge in 23 constituencies where it has demanded a vote recount that began Saturday.

The MDC’s bid to stop the vote recounts was dismissed by High Court judge Antonia Guvava Friday.

 

The recount started on Saturday at 8am and includes a recount of all votes cast at all polling stations in those constituencies. The recounts is taking place at counting centres where the ballots were cast.

 

The recounts involve votes cast in the House of Assembly, Senatorial and local authority elections, as well as votes cast in the Presidential Election although the Presidential results have not yet been declared.

 

Candidates, their election agents and accredited observers are entitled to be present.  About 50 SADC observers have been deployed to observe the recounting.