Zimbabwe's Justice Minister Drops Appeal Against Voting Extension

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, March 11, 2002

Zimbabwe's Justice Minister Drops Appeal Against Voting Extension

Zimbabwean Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa on Monday dropped plans to appeal against a High Court judgment on the extension of voting days for the presidential election.

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Zimbabwean Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa on Monday dropped plans to appeal against a High Court judgment on the extension of voting days for the presidential election.

Chinamasa told journalists he realized the appeal would cause confusion to the voters and the voting process.

"I am no longer going ahead with the appeal as I had indicated earlier as it will add confusion," said Chinamasa. "I think we want to avoid confusion."

On Sunday evening, High Court Justice Ben Hlatshwayo ruled in favor of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) by extending the period of voting throughout the country by one day.

Hlatshwayo made the ruling after the MDC made an urgent application for the voting process to be extended by at least two days because queues were still persisting, especially in capital Harare and the nearby district of Chitungwiza.

Chinamasa had argued that voting days were not supposed to be extended because polling stations would remain open until all those in queues voted.

He told the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation later on Sunday evening that the judgment would be impossible to implement in other areas of Zimbabwe because most polling stations had already closed.

Chinamasa said the extension would be applicable only to Harare and Chitungwiza.

Voters in Harare were casting votes for the president, mayor and councilors at the same time, while those in Chitungwiza were voting for the president and mayor.

Voting in the two towns, separated only by 30 kilometers, was characterized by voter restlessness because of long queues which moved at a very slow pace.

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