The Electoral Court Division of the High Court in Harare has directed the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to register Elisabeth Valerio, the leader of the United Zimbabwe Alliance (UZA), as a presidential candidate for the upcoming elections.
Valerio becomes the first female presidential candidate for the 2023 elections.
The development was confirmed by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR). ZLHR said:
The High Court has ruled that ZEC made a mistake in refusing to accept [Elisabeth Valerio’s] nomination papers.
ZEC was ordered to take all necessary steps to ensure that she is registered and that her name appears on the ballot paper as one of the Presidential candidates.
The ruling comes after Valerio appealed against ZEC’s decision to reject her nomination papers when the Nomination Court sat last month.
The Nomination Court rejected Valerio’s nomination despite submitting proof that she had paid the nomination fee in full.
The leader of Labour, Economists and African Democrats (LEAD) Linda Masarira was the other woman who had expressed her intention to contest in the presidential elections and her nomination papers were also rejected.
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