Robert Mugabe sets out plans for Zimbabwe elections Mugabe now appears determined to press forward. But elections without a new constitution could prompt objections from international observers, who argue a fair vote is not possible under current laws. "The applicant's desire is to hold the harmonised elections in the last week of March 2013 and a proclamation to this effect will be made at the appropriate time," the filing said. The elections will choose a successor to the shaky power-sharing government formed three years ago between Mugabe and his political nemesis Morgan Tsvangirai. Mugabe's court filing also represents a request to scrap three parliamentary by-elections for seats that have been vacant for years. The seats fell vacant after lawmakers from a splinter group of now Prime Minister Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party crossed the aisle to join Tsvangirai's faction. They were expelled from their party in 2009 and lost their parliamentary seats. Mugabe said there was no money for the by-elections to be held. Due to the unavailability of financial resources the applicant is asking that the holding of the by-elections be further extended to 31st March 2013, the idea being to subsume the holding of the by-elections in the harmonised elections to be held in the last week of March 2013.