The main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has vehemently condemned the recently conducted by-elections, branding them a “judicial coup” and a further assault on democracy in Zimbabwe.
In a scathing statement released shortly after the polls closed, the party accused the ruling ZANU-PF and the judiciary of collaborating to undermine the will of the people.
Central to the CCC’s criticism is a controversial late-night ruling issued by Justice Isaac Muzenda on December 8, 2023. This ruling resulted in the disqualification of several CCC candidates from participating in the by-elections, a move the opposition party views as a blatant attempt to suppress their voices and tilt the playing field in favor of ZANU-PF.
Justice Muzenda presided over Sengezo Tshabangu’s High Court application seeking to prevent recalled CCC MPs from contesting in the by-elections, despite their pending appeal in the Supreme Court. The CCC contends that the ruling was biased and that they were denied the opportunity to adequately defend themselves in court.
“The effect of the biased judgement is a judicial coup on the concerned constituencies and a result that is illegitimate and unrepresentative of the will of the voters,” the statement reads.
Lawyers raised concerns about the decision to involve Justice Muzenda from Mutare to oversee the Harare-based issue during night-time, despite Harare having a larger pool of High Court judges available.
Taking issue with the low voter turnout and high number of spoilt ballots, the party said: “The ill-fated by-elections are a sham as evidenced by an unprecedented low voter turnout and unusually high number of spoilt ballots both signalling the people’s anger and growing impatience against the regime’s shenanigans,” the statement reads.
The opposition party further criticized the government for spending millions of dollars on the by-elections, arguing that the money could have been channelled in public services’ delivery.
