CITIZENS Coalition for Change (CCC) Highfield West constituency parliamentary candidate Happymore Chidziva has filed a Constitutional Court (ConCourt) application challenging a bid by MDC Alliance leader Douglas Mwonzora’s legal adviser Tapera Sengweni to stop the March 26 by-elections.
Last week, Sengweni filed an application for joinder with
Vinnah Mbele, Adfy Vushoma, and Phanuel Tsvanhu to stop the March 26
by-elections on the premise that President Emmerson Mnangagwa failed to follow
the law when he proclaimed the by-elections as stipulated in sections 158 and
159 of the Constitution.
He asked the court to declare the proclamation null and
void.
Chidziva, who was Highfield West MP before he was recalled
by the MDC-T, challenged the application by Sengweni and others, saying if
by-elections were stopped, it would deny him a chance to become MP.
In his application, Chidziva cited Mnangagwa, Sengweni,
Mbele, Vushoma, Tsvanhu and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) as the
first to sixth respondents in the matter.
Chidziva said the matter was of national importance and
public interest as it related to issues of electoral democracy.
He said stoppage of the elections would deprive him of an
opportunity to stand for election for public office.
“In the event that the relief sought above is granted, I
will be adversely affected in that I would have been deprived of an opportunity
to stand for election, and if elected, to hold public office. Put differently,
in the event that the relief above is granted, my political rights in terms of
section 67(2)(a) will be violated,” Chidziva submitted.
A total of 28 National Assembly seats and 127 local
authority seats will be up for grabs on March 26. The vacancies arose following recalls, deaths
and diplomatic postings. Newsday
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