An associate of former president Robert Mugabe’s was disqualified from running in the August presidential election by Zimbabwe’s High Court of Justice, his electoral adviser revealed on Wednesday.
52-year-old Saviour Kasukuwere, a former minister and prominent figure in the ruling Zanu-PF party, departed the nation after Robert Mugabe was overthrown in a coup supported by the government in 2017.
He is one of eleven candidates whose nomination papers have been accepted by the electoral commision for the 23 August election. He intends to return from the adjacent South Africa and run as an independent candidate.
According to Jacqueline Sande, Mr. Kasukuwere’s electoral counsel, the Harare High Court found that the process had been carried out “in violation of the constitutional provisions relating to the qualifications of a presidential candidate.”
After a Zimbabwean voter claimed that Mr. Kasukuwere was ineligible because he had been outside of Zimbabwe for longer than 18 months, the court made its ruling.
The electoral commision was instructed by the court to remove Mr. Kasukuwere’s name from the ballots after the court declared his candidature invalid.
“This judgment is wrong”, said Ms Sande, adding that an appeal had been lodged.
As the nation gears up for elections, critics claim that the government is using the courts to target opposition lawmakers.
This past weekend, a lower court supported the police’s decision to forbid the major opposition group, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), from holding a rally at which it was planned to release its eagerly awaited election manifesto.
At least 12 CCC rallies were reportedly prohibited in the previous week, according to the CCC.
Robert Mugabe, an independence hero who ruled for 37 years after a coup, was succeeded by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in 2017. The following year, he won the presidency by a slim margin (50.8%) following a violent election.
Nelson Chamisa, a 45-year-old lawyer and pastor, will be his major opponent in the presidential and legislative elections on August 23.
