High Court Judge Justice Munamato Mutevedzi on Monday ruled that the application filed by opposition politicians and pro-democracy campaigners seeking an urgent determination of a challenge of exorbitant nomination fees for 2023 general elections is not urgent and that the matter should be set down for hearing on a normal and ordinary court roll.
The initial application was made in September 2022 by Egypt Dzinemunhenzva, Harare North legislator Alan Markham and activists Vongai Zimudzi and Tapiwa Chiriga, challenging the exorbitant nomination fees pegged by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for aspiring presidential, parliamentary and local authority candidates for the 2023 general elections.
In August 2022, ZEC gazetted nomination fees requiring aspiring presidential candidates to pay US$20 000 to contest in the presidential elections while aspiring legislators will pay a candidate fee of US$1 000 with aspiring candidates for local authority elections paying US$200.
The applicants who are represented by Obey Shava of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) argued that the nomination fees are exorbitant and should be withdrawn and that the regulations, which amended the nomination fees for the 2023 general elections, are unconstitutional, unreasonable and have the effect of blocking aspiring candidates from participating in elections.
The matter was ruled not urgent by Justice Mutevedzi.
The nomination court is expected to sit on Wednesday 21 June. Aspiring candidates are already paying the gazetted amounts.
Zimbabwe will hold harmonised general elections on August 23.
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