HARARE – THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) may be forced to reprint close to six million ballot papers for the Presidential election on July 30 after the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) asked the Electoral Court to declare the design of the ballot paper illegal.

The PDP, led by the MDC Alliance principal Tendai Biti, filed an urgent chamber application on Wednesday.

Through its legal representative, Tonderai Bhatasara of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, PDP argues that the presidential ballot is unfairly designed and gives Zanu PF presidential candidate, Emmerson Mnangagwa, unjust advantage over other presidential candidates.

PDP wants the Electoral Court to order ZEC to design a ballot paper for the presidential election in the manner prescribed by the law, where names of the candidates are listed in alphabetic order, one after the other, until the last one.

The opposition political party also wants ZEC to be ordered to cease posting ballot papers for the Presidential election to applicants who have applied for postal voting.

ZEC chairperson Priscilla Chigumba said Monday that ballot papers for the presidential election had been printed and the matter was now “now water under the bridge.”

The presidential election ballot paper was printed by the Reserve Bank owned Fidelity Printers.

PDP argues that the designing and printing and distribution of the presidential ballot is in violation of the Electoral Act and the Zimbabwean Constitution.

ZEC, the PDP argued, have not given contesting political parties and presidential candidates access to the ballot paper to allow them to participate effectively in the electoral process in contravention of section 155(2)(c) of the Constitution which says: “The state must take all appropriate measures, including legislative measures, to ensure that effect is given to the principles set . . . and must ensure that all political parties and candidates contesting an election . . . have access all material and information necessary for them to participate effectively.”

The PDP also says ZEC had proceeded to conduct postal voting for the election of a President without presidential candidates having access to the ballot paper. PDP argued that ZEC made, designed, produced and printed a presidential ballot paper that is not in the prescribed form as provided in section 57 of the Electoral Act and its regulations.

The opposition political party charged that ZEC and Chigumba’s conduct is in breach of section 156 and 68 of the Constitution and hence there is urgent need to preserve the transparency, integrity and credibility of the electoral system.

ZEC has printed 6,7 million presidential ballot papers for the election. If found to have broken the law, the election management body would be forced to not only reprint the ballots but also nullify postal voting that has taken place – which may force a change of the election date.