Robert Mugabe: Zimbabwe elections by the end of July

Mugabe, 89, who has been president since 1987, was reported by Zimbabwean state media as saying he would comply with a court order that parliamentary and presidential polls take place before July 31.

Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court made the order on Friday, following an application by rights activist Jealousy Mawarire.

However, it has set in course a political row over the timing and funding of state elections.

‘Free and fair’

Mugabe’s main challenger for the presidency will be his long-time rival Morgan Tsvangirai. He says any election can only be truly democratic if reforms are brought in in order to open up the media, register new voters and make the military apolitical.

His Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said it would have no problem with a July election date if such reforms were enacted in time.

“The election date must be process-driven and so if ZANU-PF (Mugabe’s party) cooperates and we speed up what we need for a free and fair election, we can all easily fulfil the court order,” MDC spokesman Douglas Mwonzora said.

A disputed election in 2008 led to the formation of the current coalition government, comprising both Mugabe and Tsvangirai, in 2009.

Under a new constitution passed this year, each term of presidential office has been limited to five years and no president is allowed to stay in office for over 10 years.