The High Court has dismissed Linda Masarira’s appeal against the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for rejecting her nomination papers to run for President due to a failure to pay nomination fees on time.
The court decision means that Masarira will not be contesting in the 2023 presidential elections. Masarira’s legal team said they do not know yet why the application was dismissed adding that they will only know after going through the full judgment which they are expecting this afternoon or Friday morning.
Speaking after the court session, Masarira expressed disappointment with the ruling, stating that it reflects on the treatment of female politicians in Zimbabwe and claims that her political rights have been violated. She also said the way forward will be determined after reading the full judgement.
Some background:
Linda Masarira intended to run for the presidency in Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections but failed to pay the US$20,000 nomination fees using RTGS due to bank limits. Although ZEC extended the nomination window for those affected by payment systems, Masarira claims she was excluded from the period.
She challenged the decision in court, citing a lack of due diligence by ZEC on payment methods and systems. This issue is not unique to Masarira, as other female presidential candidates, such as Elisabeth Valerio, have had to turn to the courts to secure their nominations.
Several Candidates Not Contesting Anymore:
Money appears to be a significant barrier to political participation in Zimbabwe’s 2023 general elections. Several aspiring politicians have been unable to contest due to high nomination fees, such as Tendai Peter Munyanduri of the New Innovative and Modernisation Front (NIMF), who chose to contest for parliament instead. Similarly, Robert Chapman of the Democratic Union of Zimbabwe withdrew from the race due to his party’s inability to afford the US$20,000 nomination fee required by ZEC.
Nyasha Chikwinya of ZANU PF has blamed the lack of money for the poor participation of women in the 2023 elections. Chikwinya stated that women were not adequately prepared for the election because money is now playing a big role, and most women are unable to promise tangible things to voters.