Harare — The High Court in Zimbabwe ordered an extension of the presidential election late Sunday, ruling in favour of the opposition which had petitioned against long delays at polling stations in its strongholds on Saturday.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) had demanded more time to allow tens of thousands of voters in the capital, Harare, and other urban areas to cast their ballot, saying the two days officially allocated for polling were not enough.
Eric Matinenga, a lawyer for the MDC, said High Court Judge Ben Hlatshwayo had "ordered that an extension be granted not only for Harare (although the application was made for Harare and Chitungwiza), but the whole country until close of voting tomorrow (Monday 7pm)."
The MDC was expecting the government to appeal to the Supreme Court, to launch a legal challenge to overturn the High Court ruling. But it appears that voting centres nationwide will be obliged to open for a third day on Monday.
John Nkomo, the home affairs minister, later indicated that the government was not satisfied with the court decision. "We have a judiciary that is very much independent," the minister told the BBC, adding: "We had designated the two days and went out of our way to extend voting times yesterday (Saturday), therefore if the government decides it will proceed with an appeal, it will be nothing out of the ordinary."
The High Court decision, confirmed by Zimbabwe state television, was a blow to the government of President Robert Mugabe, whose support is concentrated in the rural areas, where weekend voting moved briskly.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
But the court order was a major boost for Mugabe's main presidential rival, Morgan Tsvangirai of the MDC, who turned 50 on Sunday and cast his vote to try to unseat the man who has been at the helm since Zimbabwe won independence from Britain in 1980.
But from the height of his popularity during the liberation struggle, Mugabe has gradually lost support. He now faces the stiffest challenge to his authority in 22 years. The guerrilla leader-turned-statesman is accused of allowing the violent occupation of commercial white-owned farms and mismanaging the economy.
Tsvangirai on Saturday accused the governing Zanu-PF party of trying to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans in MDC strongholds, so that Mugabe could benefit.
"What we would hate is a situation where some people would be turned away because they were not able to vote. That would be a tragedy," Tsvangirai told reporters after he voted in Harare's Avondale suburb on Sunday, where hundreds of his supporters sang 'Happy Birthday'.
International observers, including a group from the Commonwealth led by the former Nigerian military leader, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, expressed concern about the long delays in voting on Saturday. But they would not be drawn on whether the poll was 'free and fair'.
The MDC says Mugabe's government has used sweeping new security powers, spoiling tactics, election campaign violence and intimidation to try to rig the vote.
Mugabe has dismissed Tsvangirai as a stooge of the minority white Zimbabwean community and a puppet of the former colonial power, Britain. The president says his rival has no experience in government and no clear policies for the country.
