Mugabe’s Move Faces Challenge
The opposition said Wednesday that it would challenge President Robert Mugabe’s move to override the nation’s Supreme Court and reinstate polling rules that critics say favor his reelection bid this weekend.
The vote, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, has exposed deep political and economic crises gripping the southern African state Mugabe has led since its independence from Britain in 1980.
Mugabe, 78, accuses his main opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai, of being a stooge of Britain and of the country’s white minority.
Mugabe used his presidential powers Tuesday to reinstate rules the Supreme Court declared illegal last week.
Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change, which has accused Mugabe of trying to fix the election, said it would challenge the president’s latest move in court.
“We are going to file the papers today, but I’m not sure whether it will be held in the Supreme Court. It will depend on the chief justice,” MDC lawyer Adrian de Bourbon said.
The General Laws Amendment Act gives state-appointed election officers the power to bar independent voting monitors from polling stations, introduce strict identity requirements for voters and ban private voter education.
“This is a clear demonstration that Mugabe is determined to hang on to power by all means, but mostly foul,” said political analyst Masipula Sithole.
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