{{Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is now ruling by decree after parliament’s term expired on Saturday, a minister said Sunday.}}
President Mugabe set July 31 as the date for presidential, parliamentary and local government elections but was forced to seek a two week extension from the courts by regional leaders.
The Constitutional Court will on Tuesday hear several applications surrounding the contentious election date.
Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa told state media that the 89 year-old leader was now the sole authority mandated to make laws if the need arose.
“The life of parliament will be terminated by operation of the law,” he said. “It means that there is no authority with power to make legislation except the president.
“This will be the situation obtaining until the next president is sworn in.”
Mr Chinamasa said this was the first time President Mugabe had ruled by decree since coming into power in 1980.
“In the history of Zimbabwe, we have never had a vacuum that has been so long between the dissolution of parliament and the swearing in of the president,” he said. “Normally parliament is dissolved the midnight before elections.”
President Mugabe and his coalition government partners have been haggling over election dates.
Regional organisation Sadc also wants Zimbabwe to implement media, electoral and security sector reforms before the polls.
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