The High Court will sit on Wednesday to address the issue of urgency in an application by CCC to compel the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to furnish the opposition party with the final voters’ roll.
This was confirmed by CCC lawyer Doug Coltart to NewsDay on Tuesday. He said:
The Voters’ roll case has been set down tomorrow morning at 9:30 am to address the judge on the question of urgency.
On August 10, 2023, the Nelson Chamisa-led party wrote a letter to ZEC, demanding an updated voters’ roll and a comprehensive list of polling stations.
CCC expressed concerns about discrepancies in the voters’ roll and the list of polling stations for the upcoming elections.
They highlighted issues such as abbreviated and altered polling station names, inconsistencies in ward allocation, and changes in the number of polling stations.
They urgently demanded an updated voters’ roll that adheres to the Electoral Act, including all polling stations, accurate names, and correct ward allocations.
The party said failure to address these concerns within 48 hours may result in legal action, jeopardising the integrity of the electoral process.
This was after ZEC last week released 12,370 preliminary polling stations for the upcoming harmonised elections set for August 23.
This represents an increment of 869 polling stations compared to the previous announcement on July 2, which indicated a total of 11,501 polling stations.
CCC and other stakeholders voiced concerns over ZEC’s choice to withhold the publication of the polling station codes.
CCC eventually took legal action by approaching the High Court. In their comprehensive 46-page court application, they explicitly requested that ZEC fulfills its legal obligation by releasing the voters’ roll.
On Monday, High Court Judge Justice Never Chitiyo ruled that the application was not urgent.
Zimbabwe holds its general elections on Wednesday, 23 August 2023.
More: Pindula News