Africa › Zimbabwe › 13 Feb 2013

Zimbabwe sets March referendum, July elections

By AFP

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe (R) and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai (L), pictured on January 17, 2013 in Harare. By Jekesai Njikizana (AFP/File)

HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe's prime minister announced Wednesday that the country will hold a constitutional referendum in March followed by elections in July, a timetable that will decide the fate of veteran President Robert Mugabe.

"There will be a referendum in March," said Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe's rival in the power sharing government.

Douglas Mwonzora, a spokesman for Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, told AFP the referendum will be held on March 16.

Zimbabweans will be asked to vote on a basic law that would, for the first time, set presidential term limits and abolish the head of state's immunity.

It would also set the stage for a presidential and legislative election that will be held in July, according to Tsvangirai.

Then, Zimbabweans will face a choice between Tsvangirai and Mugabe, who entered an uneasy coalition government after bloody 2008 elections.

A victory for the 88-year-old Mugabe would extend his 32 years in power, a reign that in the last decade has been pocked by economic meltdown and serious rights violations.