{"id":7662,"date":"2013-08-03T17:45:07","date_gmt":"2013-08-03T17:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigeria-news\/zimbabwe-electoral-official-quitstsvangirai-to-go-court\/"},"modified":"2013-08-03T17:45:07","modified_gmt":"2013-08-03T17:45:07","slug":"zimbabwe-electoral-official-quitstsvangirai-to-go-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/zimbabwe-electoral-official-quitstsvangirai-to-go-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Zimbabwe: Electoral official quits,Tsvangirai to go court"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A top Zimbabwean election official has resigned over the conduct of elections in an explicit condemnation of President Robert Mugabe’s anticipated win.<\/p>\n

In a letter sent to Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, seen by AFP on Saturday, Mkhululi Nyathi, a member of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, said the polls on Wednesday did not meet the benchmarks of fairness.<\/p>\n

“I do not wish to enumerate the many reasons for my resignation, but they all have to do with the manner (in which) the … elections were proclaimed and conducted,” Nyathi wrote.<\/p>\n

“Throughout the whole process I retained some measure of hope that the integrity of the whole process could be salvaged along the way. This was not to be, hence my considered decision to resign.”<\/p>\n

Nyathi, one of nine members of the electoral commission, said his resignation had nothing to do with the outcome of the process.<\/p>\n

“I wish, through this letter, to salute the people of Zimbabwe for conducting themselves with dignity and calm throughout the whole process.<\/p>\n

“However, these are not only the benchmarks for free, fair and legitimate elections.”<\/p>\n

Nyathi’s resignation came as the Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Saturday said his party would challenge the result of fiercely disputed elections in the courts.<\/p>\n

“There is national mourning in the country,” Tsvangirai said shortly before President Robert Mugabe was expected to be declared the victor. “We will go to court.”<\/p>\n

He also said the opposition would boycott government institutions to protest the vote believed to have been rigged to return 89 year old Mugabe to power.<\/p>\n

“We will not engage in institutions of government,” said Tsvangirai. “We will not join government.”<\/p>\n

Mugabe’s ZANU-PF in the results declared so far, claimed to have won a super majority, winning 150 seats, 10 more than the 140 seats they needed to have a two-third majority, in the 210- member house.<\/p>\n

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