Parliamentary watchdog takes Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to court

Parliamentary watchdog, Veritas Zimbabwe, has taken the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to court and its two cases will be heard tomorrow.

In the first case Veritas is seeking to open up voter education which is currently restricted to the commission.

It argues that this restriction is inconsistent with the freedom of expression which is guaranteed under the country’s constitution.

In the second case Veritas is seeking the court to decide on the definition of transparency because it is not defined in the country’s constitution.

It sets out 20 things that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has to fulfill for the coming elections to be declared transparent.

Veritas argues that if its case succeeds, the general election will be more likely to be judged free, fair and transparent.

Zimbabweans will have greater trust in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and Zimbabwe will avoid the Kenyan situation in which the Supreme Court annulled the election as being not transparent as provided for by the Kenyan Constitution.

Although 46 percent of Zimbabweans trusted the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission somewhat to a lot, only 30 percent in the urban areas did so while the majority of those who supported the electoral body, 55 percent, were from rural areas, according to the recent poll by Afrobarometer.

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