HARARE - Zimbabwe's high court on Sunday ordered the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to refrain from recounting the results of March 29 elections because the presidential results have not yet been announced.
HARARE - Zimbabwe's high court on Sunday ordered the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to refrain from recounting the results of March 29 elections because the presidential results have not yet been announced.
The court was approached on Sunday by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) for an order forcing the ZEC to suspend the recount.
The ruling followed an announcement by the ZEC that it would carry out a partial recount of votes cast in the combined presidential, parliamentary and local elections - despite the presidential results not having been released.
"The judge found it not just illegal but grossly unreasonable to order a recount before the result is out," MDC lawyer Selby Hwacha told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "The law is clear about when the recount is done.
"A candidate requests for a recount within 48 hours after the result has been declared."
The high court is also considering a separate application by the MDC for a court order forcing the ZEC to release the presidential results. A ruling in that case was expected today.
The ZEC announced on Sunday it would recount votes cast in 23 out of 210 constituencies - at the instigation of President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party - citing "reasonable grounds" to suspect votes were miscounted in a way that could affect the outcome.
The MDC has said it will not accept a vote recount.
"We will not accept any recount because for us that is accepting rigged results," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said. "The ZEC have had the ballot boxes for two weeks and heaven know what they have done to the ballot papers.
"They might have stuffed them with their votes,"
Zanu-PF is accusing the MDC of vote buying and bribing ZEC officials to inflate its vote after losing its majority in the 210-seat house of assembly to Morgan Tsvangirai's party - allegations the MDC rejects.
Zimbabwe's neighbours in the Southern African Development Community on Sunday called on the ZEC to release the remaining results "expeditiously". - Sapa-dpa
Zim court bans vote recount
HARARE - Zimbabwe's high court on Sunday ordered the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to refrain from recounting the results of March 29 elections because the presidential results have not yet been announced.
HARARE - Zimbabwe's high court on Sunday ordered the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to refrain from recounting the results of March 29 elections because the presidential results have not yet been announced.
The court was approached on Sunday by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) for an order forcing the ZEC to suspend the recount.
The ruling followed an announcement by the ZEC that it would carry out a partial recount of votes cast in the combined presidential, parliamentary and local elections - despite the presidential results not having been released.
"The judge found it not just illegal but grossly unreasonable to order a recount before the result is out," MDC lawyer Selby Hwacha told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "The law is clear about when the recount is done.
"A candidate requests for a recount within 48 hours after the result has been declared."
The high court is also considering a separate application by the MDC for a court order forcing the ZEC to release the presidential results. A ruling in that case was expected today.
The ZEC announced on Sunday it would recount votes cast in 23 out of 210 constituencies - at the instigation of President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party - citing "reasonable grounds" to suspect votes were miscounted in a way that could affect the outcome.
The MDC has said it will not accept a vote recount.
"We will not accept any recount because for us that is accepting rigged results," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said. "The ZEC have had the ballot boxes for two weeks and heaven know what they have done to the ballot papers.
"They might have stuffed them with their votes,"
Zanu-PF is accusing the MDC of vote buying and bribing ZEC officials to inflate its vote after losing its majority in the 210-seat house of assembly to Morgan Tsvangirai's party - allegations the MDC rejects.
Zimbabwe's neighbours in the Southern African Development Community on Sunday called on the ZEC to release the remaining results "expeditiously". - Sapa-dpa
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