MDC-T presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai casting his ballot in Mt Plesant in Harare on 31 July while his wife Elizabeth Macheka partially obscured looks on (photo: M Chibaya).

The church has urged the MDC to pursue peaceful legal channels in challenging President Robert Mugabe’s victory.

Morgan Tsvangirai has already approached the constitutional court seeking an audit of the voter’s roll, voter registration slips and all other material which the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission used in the just ended election.

This was after the MDC leader had disputed the election result which pronounced President Robert Mugabe the winner of the polls.

The Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) comprising of Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC), Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ), Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) and the Union for the Development of Apostolic and Zionist Churches in Zimbabwe Africa (UDACIZA) on Thursday said Tsvangirai should patiently and peacefully challenge Mugabe.

“We urge all Political Parties and Stakeholders who feel aggrieved by any challenge or issue to act in a restrained manner that will allow for dialogue, due process and the preservation of peace and stability in Zimbabwe,” the church said.

“We call on Political Parties and their leaders to act in a manner consistent with the peace we have experienced so far and not withstanding any election challenges, to do everything in their power to honor their pre-election pledges to abide by election outcomes.

“Where there are legitimate and substantiated irregularities and anomalies, we urge concerned parties to resolve these through peaceful dialogue, law abiding and in an orderly manner,” said the church.

The Church said it will continue to make itself available to assist in peaceful resolution of issues.

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