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Zim faces new election delay
06/05/2008 21:52 - (SA)
Harare - Zimbabwe on Tuesday faced a possible further delay in its wait for the outcome of a presidential election with the electoral commission saying a run-off may be held beyond a scheduled three-week deadline.
"We are looking at our state of preparedness and only after that will we be able to say when we are ready and able to set the polling date," chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) George Chiweshe told AFP.
"But if the 21 days are not enough we have powers to extend," he added.
Chiweshe spoke after a day of talks designed to assess the body's readiness to organise a run-off between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
Zimbabwean law states that a run-off should be held within 21 days of the announcement of results of the first round which was finally made on Friday, nearly five weeks after polling day on March 29.
Unlikely to take place in May
Sources close to the ZEC and political observers say the election is unlikely to take place in May, with some suggesting it could be organised in July.
Asked when an announcement of the date would be made, Chiweshe said "as soon as possible" and the commission wanted to hold the election "at the earliest possible" date.
Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga has said the commission could have up to a year to organise another round of election.
The new date would be announced through a presidential proclamation.
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change party is yet to announce whether its leader will take part in the second round after insisting that it won an overall majority in the first round of voting.
According to the ZEC results released on Friday, Tsvangirai won 47.9% against 43.2% for Mugabe. A third candidate, former finance minister Simba Makoni, drops out of the contest after winning around eight percent.
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