Zimbabwe's High Court Dismisses Voting Extension

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, March 12, 2002

Zimbabwe's High Court Dismisses Voting Extension

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Zimbabwe's High Court on Monday evening declined to entertain an urgent application by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) seeking a further extension of voting period by one more day.

The court ruling meant that voting ended on Monday.

Judge Paddington Garwe told Xinhua the court had left the matter to the Registrar General of elections, Tobaiwa Mudede and Election Directorate chairman, Mariyawanda Nzuwa.

Garwe said he had not found Mudede in contempt of Sunday's court order to extend voting and that there is no willful default when he opened polling stations late.

The MDC, represented by lawyer Eric Matinenga, had argued that polling stations opened late on Monday after the High Court ordered the extension of voting to Monday.

Loice Matanda-Moyo of the Attorney General's office, representing Mudede and Nzuwa, told the court that ballot boxes and other voting materials had already been sent to posts when the court extended voting on Sunday night.

She said they had to look for more financial resources as they had budgeted for only two voting days.

Zimbabweans went to the polls from Saturday to Monday to elect a new president, and MDC presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai is a major rival against incumbent President Robert Mugabe, who is hopeful of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union -- Patriotic Front.

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