'MDC-T will be in contempt of court if it defies elections date ruling'

Jealousy Mawarire, the executive director of the Centre for Elections and Democracy in Southern Africa, whose court application compelled the Constitutional Court to pass the ruling on the election date, told Business Day on Monday the MDC would be in contempt of court had it chosen to defy the ruling.

"Anyone who wouldn't abide (with the ruling) is in contempt of court … This is not an early election as it is claimed in some quarters. Everyone knew June 29 was the cutoff date for parliament.

"One can't say in July it is an early election. Under the agreements made in the unity government, elections were supposed to have taken place in 18 months, but we are already more than 48 months behind," Mr Mawarire said.

Mr Mugabe may rule by decree from the end of this month until the election. A journalist with the defunct Tribune and Zimbabwe Mirror, Mr Mawarire said the Constitutional Court application was sought in his personal capacity.

He denied his court application had served to provide legal cover for Mr Mugabe, which had been clamouring for an election at the end of this month, but faced political resistance from the MDC.

"I am not privy to Zanu-PF details. All I know from media reports is that they have not held primary elections to pick candidates and that means it is a party which has no candidates," Mr Mawarire said.

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition director McDonald Lewanika said Mr Mawarire's victory had placed the MDC in a difficult position, where it would have been damned whether it accepted or rejected the court ruling.