By Paul Nyathi|The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba says that only a major natural disaster like an earthquake can stop the harmonised July 30 elections from going ahead.

Chigumba said this while addressing her inaugural weekly media briefings on Monday responding to questions on whether or not parties and candidates can stop the elections based on any anomalies they might pick on the voters’ roll.

“The first thing to take note of is once the President has proclaimed the election date, there is nothing short of an earthquake which can stop the election so whether candidates scrutinise the voters’ roll, whether they see any anomalies in it, whatever the anomalies are, whatever legal recourse they have will not stop the election. I want that to be very clear that is the law,” she said.

“Nothing stops the election; if there are any anomalies in that voters roll . . . candidates can possibly challenge the outcome of the election but whatever legal recourse is at hand cannot stop the election.

“Nothing can stop the election after the proclamation of the election date. What candidates can do for whatever reason and whatever their opinions and views are, is to use anything that they come up with to challenge any outcome of the election.”

The opposition MDC-T Alliance and several Non Governmental Organisation have taken the electoral body to court on claims of irregularities on the electoral process and the voters roll.