allAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: Govt to Extend Run-Off Deadline By Ninety Days (Page 1 of 2)

SPECULATION has been swirling in political circles about a possible three-month delay in holding the presidential run-off following ZANU-PF's latest demand that "smart" sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union countries be lifted.

This stems from statements made by electoral officials, stoking fears that a run-off poll between President Robert Mugabe and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai could be delayed for 90 days while government cobbles up ways to charm the electorate and reverse the outcome of the March 29 elections.

President Mugabe lost the four-man presidential race to long-time rival Tsvangirai by close to 200 000 votes but results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) show a run-off will be necessary.

Government is expected to publish tomorrow an extraordinary gazette announcing the date for the second round of the presidential poll 90 days after ZEC released the final results.

The run off is tentatively set for August 2, according to sources.

Analysts point to remarks by the ZEC boss, Justice George Chiweshe, decrying the three-week timeframe as a legislative oversight that failed to account for the complexities of the situation.

"It was ambitious for the legislators to think 21 days would be enough," Chiweshe said last week, referring to the stipulated period for holding a run-off in the event of no candidate winning a clear majority.

He said ZEC officials needed more time to prepare for the run off.

Deputy chief election officer, Utoile Silaigwana yesterday told The Financial Gazette the electoral provision stipulating 21 days should be read in conjunction with Section 192 of the same Act, which gives the Commission leeway to alter the stipulated period if necessary.

"This is the first time that a run -off has become necessary and there is no precedent. So the public should be patient, as the date will be announced. If the run off is held outside the 21 days it will still be within the provision of the Act, which is also silent on a time limit outside the three week period," Silaigwana added.

He said given that the run-off might require the electorate to inspect the voters' roll, it would be impossible to conduct this inspection before the actual poll in a space of three weeks.

"We will start preparations once a date is fixed."

According to Marwick Khumalo head of the Pan African observer mission to the March elections, ZEC officials told him that the run-off "would likely not take place within 21 days as required by law but within the next 12 months."

Khumalo said the election commission officials had told him "logistical issues would make it difficult to organise the run-off within three weeks of the election.

He told Pan African parliamentarians meeting in Midrand, South Africa, last week that ZEC had told him the second round of voting would take place "at the earliest possible time not beyond 12 months."

Sources close to government also told The Financial Gazette that ZANU-PF was putting in place programmes that would suck back the disaffected electorate to its side before a run-off date is announced. The party blames worsening economic hardship characterized by shortages of basic commodities, fuel and drugs among others, as a prime reason for its poll defeat at the polls.

"You have to interrogate the reasons behind the recent liberalization of the foreign currency exchange rate and the scrapping of duty on grocery imports for the next 90 days to appreciate government thinking," one source said.

"Government thinks it can hold the run- off when things appear normal in terms of fully-stocked shop shelves and readily available goods and fuel. Then they can confidently hold the run-off," the source said.

This explanation seem to resonate with an announcement on Tuesday by Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu that duty on all imported groceries would be waivered for the next 90 days.

The currency liberalization is expected to improve foreign currency inflows by mopping up currency held by individuals that will be appropriated to the productive sectors to kick-start production of basic commodities.

Government has, according to another source, been trying to delay the holding of the run-off saying it lacks the resources to hold the poll within the 21 days period but is eyeing a 90-day delay to spruce up its bruised image in the eyes of the electorate through such measures.

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