Voter Files Court Application to Force Mugabe to Proclaim Election Date

WASHINGTON DC —  A Zimbabwean voter registered in Masvingo Province’s Zaka East constituency has filed an urgent supreme court application seeking to compel President Robert Mugabe to proclaim the country’s general election date by June 29 this year.

According to the state-controlled Herald newspaper, Jealousy Mawarire, who claims to be a member of the Center for Election Democracy in Southern Africa, cited all unity government principals and the Registrar-General as respondents.

Mr. Mawarire claims in the court papers that President Mugabe is supposed to proclaim the dates by June 29 when the term of parliament and elected local government officials come to an end.

He says Zimbabwe will be run by an illegitimate regime when parliament is non-existent.

Human rights lawyer Matshobane Ncube said it is not possible for the Supreme Court to force President Mugabe to proclaim election date.

Interview With Matshobana Ncube

Meanwhile, some political parties say thousands of people are being left out of Zimbabwe’s mobile voter registration exercise being conducted by the Registrar General’s Office.

The two formations of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), say the mobile voter registration centers were only advertised in the state-controlled media Saturday, five days after teams from the Registrar-General’s Office were deployed in various provinces.

Ellen Shiriyedenga, elections director of the MDC formation of Industry Minister Welshman Ncube, said the adverts will not have any impact on the voter registration exercise as thousands of people have already been left out in some of the advertised centers.

Interview With Ellen Shiriyedenga

The parties claim that the process is going on smoothly in most Zanu PF strongholds.

Obert Moyo, Midlands elections director of the MDC formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the voter registration exercise is chaotic in the region.

Interview With Obert Moyo

A senior official in the Registrar General’s Office declined to comment while Zimbabwe Electoral Commission officials were not readily available for comment.