Zimbabwe’s president-elect Emmerson Mnangagwa’s swearing-in ceremony has been postponed pending the decision by the Constitutional Court on fraud allegations made by the main opposition party, the MDC Alliance. The court ruled that the swearing-in, slated for 10th of August, could no longer take place. All of this took place only a few hours after MDC Alliance lawyers deposited required paperwork at the court.
Ziyambi, Zimbabwe’s Justice Minister said, the swearing-in “will no longer happen, for now, it has been stayed pending determination of the court challenge”.
MDC Alliance lawyers had filed the paperwork in court on Friday, in effect defying the pronunciation of Emmerson Mnangagwa as the winner of 30th July election. Nelson Chamisa, the shepherd of MDC Alliance and their Presidential candidate, made it just before the legal cut-off point at the Constitutional Court premises in the capital of Harare to legally register his party’s discontent at the results of the presidential election.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission officially announced following the election that Chamisa lost to Mnangagwa in the 30th July polls. Chamisa has, however, stood his grounds saying that he has proof showing he was cheated. While the workings of the court so far have reflected a working government, the independence of institutions in Zimbabwe remains questionable considering the background of ZANU-PF dictatorship and the origins of Emmerson Mnangagwa political power.
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