• Former Information and Publicity minister petitioned House election
• Harare's High Court rules out election irregularity
• Tsvangirai’s MDC won most of the parliamentary seats

The High Court of Zimbabwe has dismissed a challenge on the election of the country’s Speaker of Parliament by a close ally of President Robert Mugabe.

Former Information and Publicity minister Jonathan Moyo wanted the election of Mr Lovemore Moyo, the chairman of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, set aside because he claimed the poll was manipulated.

High Court Judge Justice Bharat Patel ruled Tuesday that although some MDC MPs were forced to show their ballots to other legislators, the actual voting was done in secret.

The general conduct

''The applicants have failed to establish any justification, either as regards the general conduct of the impugned election, or with respect to the secrecy of the of the votes cast or otherwise, for setting aside or nullifying the election of the Speaker of the House of Assembly.

“It is clear that all members marked their ballot papers in secrecy and none were coerced to vote for any candidate,” he said.

''The application is therefore dismissed with costs.”

Mr Moyo became the first Speaker from outside Zanu-PF in 2008 after President Mugabe’s party lost its parliamentary majority it had enjoyed since independence in 1980.