A referendum on the new constitution will hold in November.

Zimbabwe's President, Robert Mugabe wants to hold general elections in March 2013 with the referendum on a new constitution this November, the BBC cited court papers as revealing. Reacting to the information, a spokesman for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, MDC, Douglas Mwonzora, said the date for the election was unilateral, unrealistic and had no legal basis, the AFP news agency said.

The Supreme Court ordered Mugabe last month to announce dates for by-elections to fill at least 26 vacant Parliamentary seats by the end of September. But the President has made a fresh application to the High Court, arguing that the government cannot afford to hold the by-elections. He said he intended to call a general election in six months' time, Reuters news agency said.

The court papers say President Mugabe wants to hold harmonized elections in the last week of March 2013 and a proclamation to this effect will be made at the appropriate time. The veteran leader also said in the court papers that the referendum would be held in November. Observers say the President can constitutionally trigger a general election by dissolving Parliament, but Mugabe is expected to seek consensus with his coalition partners on a poll date.

Until now, Mugabe, 88, has always insisted that the elections should be held this year. The MDC, led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, insists that a new constitution should be in place before the new polls to ensure they are free and fair. President Mugabe, who has been in power since independence in 1980, denies accusations that previous elections were rigged in his favour. Tsvangirai pulled out of the 2008 election, citing alleged systematic attacks on his supporters by the army and pro-Mugabe militias.