Mugabe seeks March election for Zimbabwe

• Tweet

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says he wants a new Constitution by November and national elections in March, a timetable his opponents call unworkable.

President since independence in 1980, Mugabe pushed back his timetable of having presidential elections this year. He proposed the new timeline in court papers in court papers filed concerning upcoming by-elections.

His long-time opponents in the Movement for Democratic Change condemn his plans as "unworkable," noting the two sides have been unable to agree on a draft constitution that is to be in place before any national election, the BBC reported Thursday.

The MDC, led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, insists a constitution must be in place to ensure elections are free and fair. Tsvangirai pulled out of the 2008 presidential election, citing systematic attacks on his supporters by military groups and pro-Mugabe militias, the BBC said.