MDC challenges parliamentary results

Zimbabwe's opposition has challenged election results for about 60 parliamentary seats won by President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party, a lawyer for the Movement for Democratic Change said today.

"All in all we have filed about 60 applications to the Electoral Court in respect of the house of assembly seats. The applications are to ensure that the declarations of the results be set aside," MDC lawyer Charles Kwaramba said.

Official results show the MDC defeated the Zanu-PF in the March 29 parliamentary vote, but Zanu-PF has challenged some of those results, arguing among other things that the MDC bribed election officials.

In its court challenge the MDC accuses Zanu-PF candidates and supporters of vote-buying, intimidating and interfering with presiding election officers and other election malpractices, Kwaramba said.

The MDC, which tried to get a separate court to force the release of the results of the presidential election, also said there had been undercounting of its votes in the parliamentary poll, he said. – Reuters