Constitutional court gives parly 1 week ultimatum ...

Constitutional court gives parly 1 week ultimatum to lower nomination fees for candidates for elections

The Breakfast Club S01EP29 - Divine Mhambi Hove. Nationalists Alliance Party - YouTube

A political party aspiring candidate’s wish to have the Constitutional Court rule against what Devine Mhambi Hove termed exorbitant nomination fees for candidates seeking to contest in the August general elections has been granted.

Parliament has now been given a week to review the candidates’ fees.

The fees were hiked following the gazetting of Statutory Instrument 144 of 2022 to USD$20 000 for presidential candidates and USD$1 000 for parliamentary candidates.

In his Constitutional Court application, Nationalists Alliance Party’s Hove argued the fee was too high.

He added that Parliament had failed to fulfil its constitutional obligation to consider whether the law used was in contravention of the constitution.

The matter was heard by a panel of seven judges.

Hove, through his attorney, Lovemore Madhuku, argued that the Parliament should be held responsible as the parliamentary legal committee reviews laws before sending them to the Senate.