Zimbabwe’s High Court
Refuses To Overturn Election
Zimbabwe's
High Court has refused to overturn the election of the first
opposition Speaker of Parliament.
A senior official from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Party, Lovemore Moyo,
became the first opposition Speaker in August 2008 after the MDC
ended ZANU-PF's majority in parliament in earlier elections.
His election was challenged by former Information Minister
Jonathan Moyo, who argued that the vote failed to meet the test
of a secret ballot.
Moyo alleged that some MDC members had openly shown their ballot
papers to other legislators in a move meant to influence them in
their voting, contending that the whole process was chaotic.
High Court Judge, Bharat Patel described the vote as exuberant,
saying that while some MDC members had shown their ballot papers
to colleagues, the actual voting was done in secret.
Patel, who dismissed the appeal, said it was clear that all
members marked their ballot papers in secrecy and none were
coerced to vote for any candidate.
The ruling is expected to ease concerns within the MDC, which
accuses its coalition partners in ZANU-PF of carrying out
actions that seek to undermine the fragile unity government.
REUTERS/NAN/YINKA
