Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Zimbabwe’s main opposition party to President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF, dropped their legal challenge on Friday to Mugabe’s allegedly rigged re-election.
Mugabe won 61% of the vote at the July 31 election, while his rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai won 34%. However, results such as Matabeland, a province which has consistently voted against Zanu PF, suddenly voting for Mugabe made MDC and other experts question the validity of the election, The Telegraph writes.
According to The New York Times, MDC did not get a response from Zimbabwe’s Election Commission concerning the release of election information and material by last evening, and withdrew their case stating they would not get a fair trial. Nelson Chamisa, a senior party official, stated that there would be no point going to trial without the crucial evidence, as it would likely only undermine MDC’s position and give Mugabe’s re-election a legitimacy that he does not believe it has.
Douglas Mwozonora, MDC spokesman, added that without knowing information such as the number of people who voted, the trial would have been “a mockery of justice,” BBC News reports.