via SABC News.com – Tsvangirai petition may delay Mugabe’s inauguration:Saturday 10 August 2013.
Shingai Nyoka, Harare SABC News.com
President Mugabe has denied all charges of vote manipulation.
The inauguration of the winner of Zimbabwe’s election, president Robert Mugabe, will have to be postponed after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Friday lodged a constitutional court petition to nullify the presidential election result.
Tsvangirai wants the country’s top court to order fresh elections citing widespread vote manipulation and irregularities. Zimbabwe’s long-time ruler was overwhelmingly re-elected in last week’s polls in a vote endorsed by African leaders, but criticised by western countries.
“The prayer that we seek is that this election be declared null and void. And also that a fresh election be called in 60 days,” said Tsvangirai.
A court application of over 60 pages has been lodged with the constitutional court on Friday detailing claims of widespread vote irregularities.
Tsvangirai says he has oral and physical evidence to prove that the electorate was manipulated into voting for the long-time ruler.
“The grounds that we seek this nullification are 15 in number. These include bribery by some of the contesting candidates. We saw doling out of the foodstuffs, kitchenware and so-on. That is not allowed in terms of our constitution,” says MDC spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora.
The AU and SADC leaders have largely endorsed the elections while Botswana and west have called for independent audit of vote saying result is not credible.
The MDC will argue that over half a million people were disenfranchised on voting day and 300 000 people were turned away – some of them after their names did not appear on the roll.
It also questions the high number of assisted voters. However, at the centre of the case are claims of intimidation against the traditional chiefs and security service and a faulty voter’s roll.
“We will be able to provide electronic evidence, and on the voter’s roll we have over 870 000 names duplicated, and in one instance. I think we have got the Tshuma family, the surname Tshuma is occupying 40 pages, and these people were all born on the same day,” says Mwonzora.
The constitutional court has 14 days to resolve the petition. Already, legal experts say that Tsvangirai will struggle to prove a direct link between the issues raised and his overwhelming loss.
Mugabe, who denies all charges of vote manipulation, received 2.1 million votes – a million more than Tsvangirai – to win the presidential election.
The AU and SADC leaders have largely endorsed the elections while Botswana and the west have called for an independent audit of votes saying that the result is not credible.
Court challenges against Zanu-PF candidates’ parliamentary wins are also expected to be presented to the electoral courts this week.
COMMENTS
MDC must go to hell this guys are just sellout. They want to sell Africa to the west and we Africans must just suffer. Agents like MDC must never rule a country shame on them Mugabe all the way give the land back to the black people
I am probably 4th generation Zimbabwean, born in 1977…..looking back, I now thank God I was born in Zim. I am so grateful my school class in the ’80s and ’90s was filled with all races and cultures (this was normal to me)….we didn’t see colour! Yes, my forefathers had many successes and failures…. but I am the new generation….. I can’t take the blame or change the past…..but I do have control of the present and the future…. I do have the responsibility to love my God and love my neighbour as myself. In the Kingdom of God, there is no room for racism, hatred, judgemental/critical attitudes, revenge and pride…..only forgiveness, reconciliation and humbleness etc. So I am a white Zimbabwean whether I like it or not….. and I love my country. In the Kingdom of God, there is no right or wrong political party as such…… I believe God would have us pray…..”Oh Lord, thank you for this beautiful Nation. Lord, we stand as one~ all races ~ and we need you!! On behalf of those who have gone before us and us ourselves….. please forgive us for not following you, for not including you in our lives…. for not making you FIRST in our Nation….we invite you Lord…we say You are the only one who can heal and restore our Land. Forgive us for complaining, mumbling, moaning, judging and criticising and believing we can fix things in our own strength….. we fall humbly on our faces, we cry to You deliver us from our own sins, may we each look deep into our own hearts, search us oh Lord…help me to become more like You. We choose to place You on the throne as King over Zimbabwe ~ we invite You to have Your way….. we ask You to take Your rightful place as the leader of Zimbabwe. We pray for our leaders…. that whoever leads our Nation, will love You and put You first….thank you for a leader who has a heart and passion for the people….may their heart beat like Yours! All You ask is for the Zimbabwean people to stop trying to solve their problems in their own strength…..Oh God, You are a God of miracles, nothing is impossible for You! So we are not faced with the issue of which political party won etc. The issue is whether or not we as a people will humble ourselves, fall before God, cry out to Him for mercy…..oh for leaders who will put You FIRST!!!
Well said brother and we continue to call on the name of Jesus. It matters not who is president but that we know Jesus Christ is King! God Bless Zimbabwe.
You are one in a million MDC Is bringing back race MDc is real rubbish
Zimbabwe is the way it is after the birth birth of MDC and now that they have lost we need to bring that zim pride back
Noting that Zimbabwe is for all those who live in it and not for the MDC its amazing that we all grow the same time And really want the Zimbabwe we know back without MDc trouble makers.
Do not write essays here. Get to the point. If you have nothing to say shut up. If you want to preach please look for a church. I am white my foot. You think black people are stupid?
I agree with you Musa
Bring the very same bible that took our land shut up maaan
Vivia Zanu PF. .
new format not user-friendly
don’t waste your time MDC
I would like to warn the 4th Generation brothers and sisters that neither Tsvangirai nor Mugabe could be judged as right people by fellow human beings and secondly racism is there and will never go away. I wish most of you ever stayed in white man’s land and experience it yourself. Do not be shortsighted think and act the Mugabe way because that is the only way we can inherit what was left by our forefathers with a clear picture that we will leave something for our children and the great grand children to come if not the generations. What bothers me is that I am not Zimbabwean and where I come from everyone gives an example of a true being Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe a true son of Africa. What most young people are missing is the NGO infofed syndrome prevailing at the moment, these are hynas in sheep’skin. Stand for your country and in a patriotic way play a part that will develop at a space in your community.
This notion of opposition in Zimbabwe including MDC and its leader being western puppets is evidence of how Mugabe has grossly brainwashed Zimbabwe society through one TV channel at this day and age . For those of you born free I can tell you now that Ian Douglas Smith the then Rhodesia Prime minister referred to us as terrorists although we were freedom fighters. The media at that time was pressured to ensure that society was brainwashed with this notion. But tell you what the truth set us free and now we are known as war veterans or former freedom fighters. The message I leave to all with grandiose and bizarre thoughts that MDC is western wont leave forever as MDC has revisited liberation goals in order to purse these as Zanupf has long left these for individual selfless goals. MDC is a Zimbabwean project based on democratic principals that originate from the war . Hats off for MDC and leadership for fighting for democracy where autocracy and dictatorship by Zanupf exist. War veterans including myself are fully supportive of MDC because it stands for liberation values .
You write a hip of rubbish which MDC are you talking about those school boys, women seeking men fueled with Britain thinking
Where was the MDC during our struggle and 15 year’s into independence.
Please that worker should go back to the mines where he came from, what a chancer
How do lead when you talk do your own people Morgan is a rude and foolish man and you are the one being brain washed by those MDC School boy a hip of junk
Why are his he being forced on us Zimbabweans and where is getting his funding from and why 8s buying house in South Africa instead of his own country to show us his real.
i’m a hardcore supporter of MDC,the election outcome was so disheartening, how on earth can that party which was now lame 5yrs ago win the election, let alone with such a magine?The problem was with MDC,why did it engaged into that deadly coalition with thieves and robbers in the name of government of national unity.GNU was the recovery time of the wolf called zanu pf,we should have buried that party if our leader denied a coalition.Zanu would have suffered natural death if they where left to rule after rigging in 2008.Economic hardships of that year would have done the deal.
MDC must just take chill pill now they lost fair an square they were out played and out smarted period. …
It is obvious that some really massive rigging arrangements were in place. When were the final list of polling stations provided to all political parties. Did all parties and interested bodies have polling agents at all polling stations? Was there secret polling stations utilized and if so – how many? Finally what was the results that emanated from the “secret” or non-disclosed polling stations that was added to the total votes per constituency?
In essence one would expect that all polling stations should be known to all interested parties well in advance of election day so arrangements could be made for observers to be present at all booths.
The second equally important issue – there are rumours that the ink use to identify voters who have casted there ballots was easily wahed off and that voters could have voted numerous times- especially since there was obviously serious deficiencies in the voters roll – which was also apparently not provided in the correct format. How many voters not on the role voted with slips – whilst not on the voters roll. Were these slips recovered from the “voters” when ballots were issues – or could they keep them, and go and vote elsewhere once they have washed off the ink from their fingers.
At this stage everyone seems to focus mainly on the voters roll – but the above issues need to be addressed in detail – especially since it was obvious that the legislation governing elections were in the main ignored.
Wish somebody would deal with the above issues in detail so as to give an accurate picture of what was happening.
Was Morgan not part of the election proces?
Why cry foul, stupid leader and foolish man idiot maaaaaaaaan he must just Veostek pack his bags and go and in the Britain
His making a meal of u and I we 4 years to see through him shame sis maan.
MDC must just regroup and try next time if there will ever be a next for them.
You and your rigging thought’s, you not just stop for once and ask people who voted if the ink can be easily washed off
My own sister an may others voted an still todate they have the ink on them
MDC must just go to court and come the weekend Morgan will know his real shoe size
That fool will never ever rule Zimbabwe, I will personally go and take him out by the color myself that idiot
MDC have been selling our country the British promising a million an one things if they got into power
Why did they funders back off ? Its because they could seeing it coming and they did their research and knew that MDC was not going to win and thats for real
Please get it MDC lost fair an square stop coming up with rubbish to discredit zanu PF instead of congratulating Our president Robert Mugabe on a great come back
And for standing his grounds on Sadc
In addition to the massive rigging carried out in these stolen elections, Afrobarometer has reminded us of their report on Voter Intimidation in Zimbabwe from data collected in 2012.
This clearly demonstrates that, IN ADDITION to the rigging of omissions of c. 1 million Zimbabwean voters, inclusion of dead and over-age voters, multiple duplicate names, intimidation of rural voters, problems with ink being erased, dodgy ballot papers, people being bused in to vote several times, unequal coverage by the media, omission of the 2-4 million diaspora voting population, wrongful timing of the election and lack of timely provision of the voters roll, the Zimbabwean voting population was ALSO significantly more fearful of political intimidation and violence by the ruling party than any other regional country in the SADC area. Afrobarometer’s data is available on the web here:
Afrobarometer
@afrobarometer
RT @chavulaj: @afrobarometer share this study please. Will post on web. Zimbabwe data 2012. Voter intimidation data: pic.twitter.com/YIEgQbjvHJ
https://twitter.com/afrobarometer/status/366612362846941184
Good luck to the MDC in their courageous efforts to get this so-called ‘election’ over-turned and fresh elections called so that justice may prevail. Well done to Morgan Tsvangirai and his colleagues for bravely withstanding the vile and ignorant people who have attempted to hurt, abuse, ridicule and villify them for standing up for justice and democracy for Zimbabwean people. You are the true democrats and heroes of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabweans have seen and know the truth MDC is rubbish
I know all those MDC boys they have no clue on how to run a country, MDc forgets that Zimbabweans are educated
Does morgan have a degree or just O level someone please tell me
That man is very ugly looking oh my gosh most MDC MP’s have been steeling copper and selling it in South African and they know themselves all the street lights cables was stolen by MDC people we know clearly who they are go to Gweru and see the city is dark no lights I never lived in a Gweru with no street lights an the up keep of the parks and side of the road are not even taken care off
Please allow me to clean my City up it hurts me Guess who runs Gweru MDC.
I hate MDC and Morgan that man is so so ugly looking fat black stupid an arrogant the very same sadc he runs to we formed it as Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe needs its stock exchange because those very same British will buy shares through the stock exchange and we need to careful and watch that stock exchange
They have used the stock exchange to bring the Zimbabwe dollar down and will use to buy shares in big mines an we will lose our land an mine via that white an British controlled stock exchange
Dont answer or comment on a mad man who has so far been frothing in the mouth vs Morgan.People will not know the difference.His job is to distract and incite
I think some people have lost their common senses. Tsvangirai do you think you are going to win on your constitutional court petition? I wonder if at all you have good advisors, they should have told you to accept defeat, and congratulate Cde R.G. Mugabe for winning a free, peaceful and fair election. That could have maintained your diginity rather than going to the courts. You are denigrating into a true despot who does not even have a sense of belonging, or patriotism because you want to fit yourself into an office that does not befit your status as a losing candidate. Besides you are paying hommage to Western forces to bulldoze your way into office. Allow those who won the election to get sworn-in so the country can move foward. Very soon you will be history and get into eternal oblivion. May be you could have left the body politic in honour if you had accepted the results and show us the kind of a gentleman you are. But the goose chasing appetite and the election rigging rhetoric you have been talking about since the formation of your party and running as a losing presidential candidate is getting you nowhere. ‘Bvuma zvipere muchindarume’
I hate MDC the mayor of Gweru steals copper wire and sells drugs
I will not respect that 1980 boy a crock of note how can he be mayor of Gweru when the very same man was in a South African jail for stealing copper from Zimbabwe
I will personally go and kick that idiot out of Gweru and go back to Zambia, I believe that Gweru is totally misrepresentated by that school by MDC could at least please please chosen someone with a track record not that fat small boy please God help our City it even worse of now under the leadership of MDC
I have lost respect for MDC totally they have no leadership quality’s hence option to put a school boy to be mayor of Gweru shame
I rather stay in Gokwe or move and live in the bush
Gweru is disappointing,dirty,dark and backward
MDC, please vostek from Gweru I will personally identifiable rebel based on the relevant recommendations and information about the record of that boy mayor elect Gweru is doomed.