MDC MP convicted of forging nomination papers

Movement for Democratic Change Member of Parliament for Chimanimani West Lynette Karenyi was convicted by magistrate Billard Musakwa of forging four signatures nominating her to contest the seat which she won by beating ZANU-PF candidate Munacho Mutezo in the 2008 elections..

Party spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said the MDC believed the charges were trumped up and was going to appeal the conviction at the High Court.

Chamisa said that Karenyi would be legally entitled to remain in her seat pending a final High Court ruling.

Karenyi won 55 percent of the constituency votes in the 29 March 2008 elections.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 09HARARE40, MDC PARLIAMENTARIAN PUSHED OUT BY JUDGE

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/14/2019

TAGS: PGOV ASEC PHUM PREL ZI

SUBJECT: MDC PARLIAMENTARIAN PUSHED OUT BY JUDGE

Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee for reason 1.4 (d)

——-

SUMMARY

——-

¶1. (SBU) A Zimbabwean judge disqualified an MDC member of

parliament after convicting her of forging signatures

nominating her to run in the March 2008 parliamentary

elections. Lynette Karenyi was convicted by Magistrate

Billard Musakwa of forging four signatures nominating her to

contest the Chimanimani West seat she won by beating out

ZANU-PF candidate Munacho Mutezo. END SUMMARY.

¶2. (U) Magistrate Musakwa convicted Karenyi of violating the

Zimbabwean Electoral Act by forging nominating signatures.

Under the terms of the Act, the conviction nullifies her

election. According to the state-controlled media, her

disqualification will be effective immediately.

¶3. (SBU) After the parliamentary elections held in March

2008, the Tsvangirai faction of the MDC held 100 seats to

ZANU-PF’s 99 seats; the MDC-M faction won ten seats and there

was one independent allied to ZANU-PF. Consequently, should

each party retain their vacant seats in parliament through

either by-elections or implementation of the September 2008

power-sharing agreement, a vacancy in the Chimanimani West

constituency would wipe out the MDC-T’s plurality. (NOTE:

There are currently four vacant seats in the House of

Assembly. Three were vacated by the deaths of ZANU-PF MPs,

and the other was vacated by the elevation of Lovemore Moyo

to the position of Speaker of the House of Assembly. END

NOTE.)

¶4. (C) MDC-T spokesperson Nelson Chamisa told us that the

MDC believes the charges to be trumped up. It plans to

appeal the conviction to the High Court, and in contradiction

with the report in the state-controlled media, Chamisa said

that Karenyi would be legally entitled to remain in her seat

pending a final High Court ruling. Chamisa also explained

that the Chimanimani West constituency was an MDC stronghold

which the MDC could be expected to win in a fair election; he

acknowledged, however, that potential ZANU-PF rigging could

make the seat problematic. (NOTE: In the March elections,

Karenyi won 55 percent of the constituency votes after which

ZANU-PF made a failed attempt to force a reversal of results

through a recount. END NOTE.)

——-

COMMENT

——-

¶5. (C) The effect of the loss of an MDC-T seat in Parliament

would be symbolically significant. While the support of the

majority of Mutambara faction MPs would still hamstring

ZANU-PF objectives in Parliament, the MDC-T could no longer

claim a plurality. Moreover, it increases the risk that

defection by a number of MDC-M parliamentarians could hand

ZANU-PF an edge. END COMMENT.

MCGEE

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