BULAWAYO – The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) says it has identified 41 “fraudulent double candidates” and has filed criminal charges while also petitioning the Electoral Court to expunge their names from the candidate list for the August 23 elections.

The party said it was giving the individuals accused of forging signatures of party officials 24 hours to withdraw as candidates, or they would face criminal charges.

“We filed objections against double candidates in terms of the procedure provided for under the Electoral Act. We have received no response from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission,” CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said.

“Consequently, we have noted an electoral appeal to the Electoral Court under EC3/2023 against the decision of the Nomination Court to accept the nomination forms of fraudulent double candidates whose forms carried forged signatures.”

Twenty of the “fraudulent” candidates filed papers at the Nomination Court on June 21 to stand in the National Assembly, while 21 others are taking part in the local authority elections.

Mahere added: “Should the fraudulent candidates withdraw their candidature within 24 hours, the CCC will not persist with both the civil and criminal proceedings against them.”

The CCC says in advance of the Nomination Court sitting, it sent specimens of signatures of approved party signatories allowed to sign for candidates who would represent the party. The party is unsure how ZEC accepted the nomination papers of the 41 candidates, and has concluded that if they indeed submitted matching signatures, these could only have been forged.

Zanu PF claims it has already won 74 local authority seats after opposition parties failed to field candidates. In at least seven of these, in Rushinga, the CCC says its candidates discovered on nomination day that their names had been moved to other wards, effectively disqualifying them. One can only run for councillor in a ward in which they are registered to vote.

Follow this link for the CCC candidate list: LIST OF CCC MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT CANDIDATES 2023