Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai got married on Saturday to his second wife which under normal circumstances would be alright, except that he is still married to his first wife and is taking on another one despite the country's law stating that he can't.
Tsvangirai, 60, could not be married in a legally recognized ceremony because of the court ruling that he was already wed to another woman, according to AllAfrica.com. The scandal has gripped the nation given his political rival, President Robert Mugabe, political ammunition as he seeks to extend his three-decade rule in an election expected within a year.
Tsvangirai and Elizabeth Macheka, 35, exchanged vows and rings at a luxury convention facility in Harare but did not sign the legal marriage register.
Tsvangirai then hosted a lavish reception party for hundreds of guests in Harare, but Mr Mugabe and several other heads of states invited from the region did not turn up.
A court on Friday declared Tsvangirai already married under tribal law after seeing video footage of traditional bride price being paid last November to the family of another Zimbabwean woman. Polygamy is recognized in tribal law but not in Zimbabwe's national laws.
Tsvangirai's spokesman dismissed both court cases against him as plots by the former British colony's security services to tarnish the reputation of a man who has fought hard to end Mr Mugabe's rule.
