The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa is facing an uphill task in his efforts to dispute the results of Zimbabwe’s recent general election, which saw President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the winner.
Chamisa and the CCC have cried foul over the election process and results, citing flaws and lack of transparency. They have raised doubts over the credibility and independence of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
The party is considering legal challenges in court and has appealed to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and African Union (AU) to call for a new election supervised by independent observers.
However, analysts say Chamisa and the CCC face long odds in successfully nullifying the election outcome through legal challenges or appeals to regional bodies like SADC and the AU.
Professor Stephen Chan of SOAS University of London noted that observer reports alone may not be enough to invalidate an official election outcome. The regional groups typically prefer for domestic legal avenues to be exhausted first before getting involved.
Local analyst Rashweat Mukundu acknowledged the CCC’s position but questioned whether their demands could override Zimbabwe’s constitutional framework for elections overseen by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. Even if fresh polls are not ordered, Mukundu said the opposition still needs to defend its gains and push for electoral reforms.
Effie Ncube, another analyst, argued the CCC should pursue all available options to resolve the dispute rather than relying on any single strategy. A multi-faceted approach using both national and international avenues may be needed to achieve a satisfactory outcome, he suggested.
Overall, while challenging the results through legal and diplomatic channels, the CCC will face an uphill battle to have its version of events endorsed by regional bodies according to these political observers. Its options may ultimately be limited within Zimbabwe’s existing constitutional framework.
