HARARE – The opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change ( CCC), failed to meet the registration deadline for 15 of its National Assembly Members in Bulawayo on June 21, according to a statement issued by the ruling party Zanu PF.
In response, the ruling party Zanu PF is contesting the decision made by the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) to extend the sitting of the Nomination Court.
The candidates who missed the deadline include individuals from various constituencies in Bulawayo, such as Bulawayo Central, Bulawayo North, Bulawayo South, Cowdray Park, Emakhandeni-Luveve, Entumbane-Njube, Lobengula-Magwegwe, Mpopoma-Mzilikazi, Nketa, Nkulumane, Pelandaba-Tshabalala, Pumula, and others.
The affected candidates submitted their nomination papers on June 22, after the deadline had passed. Zanu PF Treasurer General Patrick Chinamasa argued that it was illegal for ZEC to accept nomination papers that were not signed by CCC officials in Harare before the Nomination Court closed at 4 pm on June 21.
Chinamasa also claimed it was illegal for ZEC to accept nomination fees after the deadline and to wait for payment from a CCC member who was reportedly in Harare at the time of the court’s closure.
Chinamasa stated that Zanu PF would pursue legal action to nullify the nomination of the CCC candidates whose papers were submitted after the deadline, in violation of the Electoral Act. According to him, the candidates did not have signed nomination papers and payment fees within the Nomination Court by 4 pm on June 21.
Zanu PF argues that ZEC had no legal right to accept nomination papers from candidates who were not present in the Nomination Court by the deadline. Furthermore, they claim that ZEC had no authority to convene as a nomination court on June 22 to accept nomination papers from the aforementioned CCC candidates.
Chinamasa criticized the CCC for its alleged lack of structure, constitution, and banking accounts, which he believes contributed to the candidates’ failure to submit their nomination papers on time.
