Zimbabwe court to expedite lawsuit to force release of election results News
Zimbabwe court to expedite lawsuit to force release of election results

[JURIST] A High Court judge in Harare agreed Tuesday to expedite a lawsuit seeking to compel the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission (ZEC) to immediately release the results of the nation's March 29 presidential elections [JURIST reports], but continued to refrain from issuing an immediate ruling in the case. On Monday, the High Court ruled [JURIST report] it had jurisdiction to hear the lawsuit, brought by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) [party website]. The MDC has said that a request by current Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] and his Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) [party website] party for a vote recount [JURIST report] are a tactic to keep Mugabe in power. Mugabe has denied there is anything improper about his request.

The court Saturday postponed hearing the case [JURIST report] when lawyers for MDC were barred from entering the court. Earlier Tuesday, Zimbabwe police arrested at least five election officials [JURIST report] for allegedly under-counting around 5,000 votes for Mugabe. AFP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Montgomery started racially-integrated bus service after boycott

On December 21, 1956, buses in Montgomery, Alabama, started racially integrated service following federal court rulings ending on-board segregation. Bus boycott leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were among the first riders under the new scheme. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Stalin born

On December 21, 1879, Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia. In 1922, he became leader of the USSR until his death in 1953. During his time as Soviet dictator, Stalin industrialized his country, which he then led to become one of the world's two superpowers after WWII. Through his infamous purges, show trials and nationwide famines, Stalin also became responsible for millions of deaths.