The Electoral Court Division of the High Court in Harare has reserved judgment on an appeal made by Elisabeth Valerio, the leader of the United Zimbabwe Alliance (UZA).
Valerio is challenging the rejection of her presidential nomination papers. Despite submitting proof of payment for the nomination fee, the Nomination Court rejected her nomination to run for the presidency. Valerio stated that her party is waiting for the court’s decision and she remains optimistic that justice and fairness will prevail. She said:
On Friday, 14 July 2023, in Harare the Electoral Court Division of the High Court reserved judgement in an appeal where I am challenging the rejection of my presidential nomination papers. We await the court’s decision and I remain optimistic for fairness and justice.
Valerio was one of two women who expressed their intention to contest in the presidential elections, with the other being Linda Masarira, the leader of Labour, Economists and African Democrats (LEAD). Both women failed to submit their nomination papers to run for the presidency. If their appeals are not successful, there will be no female presidential candidate in Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections.
Linda Masarira and Elisabeth Valerio failed to pay the required US$20,000 fee to register their candidacy for the Zimbabwean presidential election by the deadline. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) gave disqualified candidates two hours to make the payment the next day, but they still couldn’t pay. Valerio criticised the high nomination fees, arguing that they limit political participation to those with financial resources and undermine the political rights of citizens. According to Statutory Instrument (SI) 144 of 2022, parliamentary candidates must pay US$1,000, while presidential candidates must pay US$20,000 to run for their respective offices.