Tsvangirai drags Mugabe to court

In a Constitutional Court application filed on Monday, the MDC cited President Robert Mugabe as one of the respondents in a bid to stop all the country's pending by-election before the passage of necessary electoral laws, in conformity with Zimbabwe's new Constitution.

This comes after the nonagenarian recently set March 27 as the date for by-election in Chirumhanzu-Zibagwe and Mt Darwin West.

MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora said in the application that the elections, which are now just a week away, could not be held as that would be a breach of the country's new Constitution.

ZEC which is the 1st respondent in the matter, has already established voter registration centres which the MDC contends is contradictory to its earlier position that it could not provide a voters' roll because of the absence of enabling legislation.

He said the fact that the alignment of legislation with the Constitution was "a mammoth task which cannot be completed overnight", could not be the justification for the conduct of illegitimate elections that were ultra vire the Constitution of Zimbabwe.