Zapu to challenge election outcome

Politics
ZAPU says its leadership and legal advisers are working on challenging the outcome of elections, which the party dismissed as characterised by anomalies.

ZAPU says its leadership and legal advisers are working on challenging the outcome of elections, which the party dismissed as characterised by anomalies.

Pamela Mhlanga

In a Press statement yesterday, Zapu Information, publicity and marketing secretary Mjobisa Noko said although the just-ended elections in the country were peaceful, the party had noted that the elections were neither free, fair nor credible.

“Zapu has noted some irregularities and illegalities in the way these elections were held,” he said. “It has also noted that the whole electoral process was flawed and as such the leadership and its legal advisers are working on challenging this outcome.”

Zapu leader Dumiso Dabengwa came fourth in the presidential poll, behind President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC leader Welshman Ncube, garnering just 0,74% of the total tally.

Tsvangirai has already dismissed the polls as fraught with irregularities, declaring them as “null and void”. Noko said the party was in the process of compiling reports from provinces and a full Press statement was yet to be released.

“In this respect Zapu encourages its members to exercise restraint as we go through this legal process,” he said.

Zapu last week submitted complaints to the African Union over numerous discrepancies in the voters’ roll, claiming there were more than 21 000 names of people more than 100 years old and over 300 000 duplicated names.

Five people, the party said, had gender that was not stated on the electoral register.