Harare - President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe yesterday called parliamentary elections for June 24th and 25th, an official in the government printing works said. The official said the dates were set in a government gazette coming off the press yesterday evening.
"Now therefore, under and by virtue of the powers vested in the President, I do by this proclamation. . . fix the 24th/25th days of June as polling days in the general election," read a proclamation signed by Mr Mugabe.
The run-up to the elections has been marred by at least 20 murders of opposition party supporters and white farmers as thousands of war veterans invaded hundreds of white-owned farms since February.
In Harare the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Mr Don McKinnon, yesterday briefed Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister, Mr Stan Mudenge, on international concerns about increasing violence ahead of the elections, which were due by August.
Mr McKinnon and the EU Africa specialist, Mr Roger Moore, arrived separately to convey concerns to President Mugabe over his handling of the land crisis. An EU delegation arrived to set up an election monitoring operation.
A white Zimbabwean farmer died on Sunday, three days after being shot in an apparent robbery while his farm was occupied by pro-government militants. John Weeks was the fourth white farmer to die violently since war veterans began three months ago to seize hundreds of white farms for redistribution to landless blacks.