A ZIMBABWEAN court on Friday 15 March 2019 fined Midlands constituency Senator Morgan Komichi $200 after convicting him for contravening the Electoral Act when he announced his rejection of election results announced by Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) during the 2018 harmonised polls.
Komichi, the MDC-Alliance party Vice-President, had been on trial after he was arrested on 17 August 2018 and charged with contravening section 186 of the Electoral Act after he allegedly interrupted, obstructed and disturbed proceedings of the announcement of the results of the 2018 harmonised elections on Thursday 02 August 2018 at the ZEC Command Centre in Harare.
Prosecutors claimed that Komichi, who was represented by Obey Shava of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, got onto the podium mounted at the ZEC Command Centre and reserved for ZEC Commissioners after the announcement break and acting as the chief election agent for MDC-Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa stated his rejection of official results announced by the elections management body.
While Komichi had pleaded not guilty to the charges when trial commenced last year Harare Magistrate Ruramai Chitumbura on Friday 15 March 2019 convicted the opposition political party leader after ruling that his conduct disrupted ZEC proceedings and should have sought other means of addressing his grievances.
Komichi becomes the second opposition political party leader to be convicted with contravening the Electoral Act after human rights lawyer and MDC-Alliance Vice-Chairperson Tendai Biti was convicted by Harare Magistrate Gloria Takundwa on 18 February 2019 for breaching some provisions of the Electoral Act for allegedly announcing the results of the 2018 presidential elections and declaring Chamisa as the winner of the disputed polls.
Source: Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
