Zim court denies expats the vote

Zimbabwe’s Supreme Court has thrown out a plea by a group representing more than three million expatriates demanding the right to vote in the March 31 parliamentary elections, a state-run daily reported on Friday.

“Zimbabweans living abroad cannot vote in the country’s general and presidential elections, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously” on Thursday, The Herald newspaper said.

Seven Zimbabweans living in Britain had filed a suit on behalf of all expatriates seeking to quash election rules that bar citizens residing abroad from voting.

The seven, calling themselves the Diaspora Vote Action Group, argued in court papers that they were being “punished” by President Robert Mugabe’s government for leaving Zimbabwe.

“The denial of citizens resident in a foreign country to vote is not reasonably justifiable in a democratic society,” they had said in papers filed by their lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, in February.

The Herald said Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku dismissed their application, saying it “has no merit”.

There are an estimated 3,5-million Zimbabweans living abroad, many of whom left their country in the wake of the political turmoil from controversial elections in 2000 and 2002 that left the economy in tatters.

Under current law, only diplomats and military personnel and their families have the right to vote.

Minister of Justice Patrick Chinamasa had earlier defended the election law, saying in his submission to the court that it provides “for disqualification on grounds of absenteeism from Zimbabwe for 12 months or more, among other reasons”.

Chinamasa dismissed the relief sought by the expatriates as “far-fetched and virtually impossible”, saying it would require an overhaul of the recently amended electoral laws.

The March 31 elections will be closely watched to see if Zimbabwe will honour its pledge to the Southern African Development Community to stage free and fair elections after flawed polls in 2000 and 2002.

Chinamasa had also argued that travel bans slapped on Mugabe and his inner circle by the European Union and the United States make it impossible for ruling-party members to go overseas to campaign.—Sapa-AFP