MDC Vice President Komichi convicted over 2018 elections

By Court Reporter

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.