Patrick Chinamasa appeals for poll extension

Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa has urged the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe to invoke its discretional powers to interfere with its earlier judgment on election dates and urged the court to extend the poll date from July 31 to August 14 this year.

In the heads of argument filed by Government lawyer Mr Fredrick Gijima of Gijima and Partners law firm today, Minister Chinamasa urged the Constitutional Court to invoke its powers to extend the date in line with a request by Sadc.

Minister Chinamasa's case is set to be heard together with five other election-related matters on Wednesday.

Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku gave the parties involved in the six cases up to today to file their heads of argument.

By 11am today, only Minister Chinamasa had filed his papers in the main case while in another case, Ms Maria Phiri and Mr Jealousy Mawarire had filed their heads of argument.

In the heads of argument, Minister Chinamasa said the court should determine how the case would go bearing in mind that the May 31 order had already been complied with.

Chinamasa insists that the President had fully complied with a court order of May 31 this year and that he had much respect for that ruling.

Nomination Court date has already been declared as June 28.

Minister Chinamasa contends that Prime Minister Tsvangirai and Professor Welshman Ncube had misgivings with the court order and the manner in which President Mugabe had proclaimed the election date and lobbied Sadc to intervene and set aside the consequences of the court order.

On June 15 Sadc summit in Maputo urged the Government of Zimbabwe, through Minister Chinamasa, to approach the Constitutional Court seeking extension of the election date to a date beyond July 31.