MDC-T withdrawing election petitions

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MDC-T has started withdrawing some of its election petitions it filed challenging Zanu-PF’s victory in some constituencies in the July 31 harmonised elections, with the beleaguered opposition party dropping its petition for Mberengwa South yesterday. More withdrawals, among the 39 petitions, are likely to follow as it has become evident that MDC-T is failing to come up with evidence against Zanu PF’s convincing victory.

MDC-T initially brought in 95 petitions to the Electoral Court, but failed to raise the mandatory US$10 000 security for each petition and ended up selecting the 39 petitions.

Apparently, this is not the first time that MDC-T has withdrawn an election petition.
The party’s leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai led the way by withdrawing his petition challenging President Mugabe’s thumping victory in the harmonised elections at the Constitutional Court hours before it was heard.

Mr Tsvangirai failed to proffer convincing evidence that the polls were not free and fair as he alleged, with his strange observation coming after all invited election observers declared the polls as free, fair, credible and representing the will of Zimbabweans.

The opposition party’s leader lost dismally to President Mugabe in the national elections, managing only 33,94 percent of the vote against the President’s 61,09 percent.

In the parliamentary elections, Zanu-PF won in 160 seats, compared to MDC-T which managed only 49, with one independent weighing in with another seat.

Zanu-PF’s stake rose to 197 seats after factoring in the seats brought in through the proportional representation for women, while those of the MDC-T ended up at 70, with the MDC managing only two.

The ruling party also dominated the Senate with 37 seats, while the MDC-T has 21, MDC two, with 18 chiefs and two representatives of people living with disabilities completing the Upper House’s composition.

The latest petition withdrawal by MDC-T was made by Mr Davies Hoko who lost to Cde Chiratidzo Iris Mabuwa of Zanu-PF in the Mberengwa South constituency.

This leaves the opposition party with 38 petitions filed at the Electoral Court by candidates who lost in the polls.