Mount Pleasant ballot boxes to be opened today

Mount Pleasant ballot boxes used in the 31 July elections are to be opened today to allow an inspection to determine how many people actually voted and who won the elections for the House of Assembly.

The inspection of the ballots will be from today to 8 November and was ordered by Judge Chinembiri Bhunu acting as a judge of the Electoral Court.

The opening followed a complaint by Jameson Timba a former Minister in the inclusive government whose life ended with the 31 July elections.

Timba of the Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai faction lost to Jason Passade of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.

Timba said the figures for Mount Pleasant did not add up.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, he says, first announced that 18 092 valid votes were cast but later reduced this figure to 12 165.

Timba was one of the five MDC candidates to lose their seats in the capital, considered the MDC’s stronghold.

The MDC lost 51 seats in the last elections while party leader Morgan Tsvangirai polled 34 percent of the vote down from 48 percent in 2008.

(58 VIEWS)