Fact Check: Has Chamisa filed an election court challenge? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 1, 2023
Claim: A viral social media post claims that Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has filed a case with the Zimbabwe Constitutional Court challenging the re-election of President Emmerson Mnangagwa in a national vote on August 23 and 24.
Is this true?
Verdict: False – at least so far.
By August 31, the CCC had not submitted any application with the court.
Promise Mkwananzi, the CCC chief spokesperson, dismissed the widely circulated social media post, saying “its not factual”. But he also refused to discuss or preempt the course of action his party is taking to challenge Mnangagwa’s re-election, which the CCC has branded fraudulent.
Images of piles of papers, alleged to be the official election results confirmation receipts called  “V11s”, have been included in the social media posts claiming Chamisa had taken his complaints of vote rigging to the country’s highest court.
Section 93 (1)  of Zimbabwe’s Constitution allows aggrieved contestants to approach the court within seven days after the date of the declaration of the results of the election.
The Constitutional Court is mandated by section 93 (3) to hear and determine a petition or application within fourteen days of the submission of the petition or application. The court’s decision is final.
The dispute over the Zimbabwe election — which Mnangagwa and his ZANU-PF party claim they won fairly — has seen a sharp rise in political propaganda, misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms, and WhatsApp groups run or dominated by   supporters of these two parties.
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