Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe signs into law the Zimbabwe draft constitution in Harare, on May 22 2013. By Jekesai Njikizana (AFP/File)
HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has filed an urgent application with the country's top court to push back crucial elections by two weeks, following pressure by regional leaders.Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told AFP he had filed papers on Tuesday that sought "a postponement of the date for the harmonised elections from July 31, 2013 to August 14, 2013."The announcement comes just days after Southern African leaders pressed Mugabe to delay the polls to allow more time for democratic reforms.In setting the original election date, Mugabe had said he was complying with the constitutional court's ruling to hold elections by July 31.The elections will choose a successor to Zimbabwe's uncomfortable power-sharing government, which was forged four years ago as a path away from a decade of political violence.Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, a long-time Mugabe rival, has called for reforms -- to free the media, depoliticise the security services and make sure the electoral roll is accurate -- before the vote is held.It was not immediately clear whether the court would grant the extension, or whether two more weeks will be enough to get Tsvangirai's demands met.His party dismissed the application as "shoddy" saying Tsvangirai would approach the court to seek relief."The application is incompletely done and is shoddy," Douglas Mwonzora, spokesman for Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party told AFP. ...
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