HARARE, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe's chief justice Luke Malaba has thrown out an application by two small political parties and three activists seeking to contest the legality of the current government on the basis that former president Robert Mugabe was unconstitutionally removed from office.
The two parties -- Liberal Democrats and Revolutionary Freedom Fighters -- and the activists had sought the greenlight to contest the legality of the government led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, arguing that Mugabe had tendered the resignation last November under duress.
However, Malaba ruled that Mugabe stepped down voluntarily and that Munangagwa's assumption of office was above board, the state-controlled Herald newspaper reported Tuesday on its website.
Mugabe resigned a few minutes before Parliament began impeachment proceedings against him following a vote of no confidence passed on him by his party Zanu-PF.
Malaba said the written notice of resignation addressed to the Speaker and signed by the president met the requirement of constitutional validity.
Malaba ordered all the applicants to pay costs of the suit saying that their application lacked merit and was tantamount to an abuse of court processes.
