Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has signed into law two electoral bills giving him power to appoint members of a commission overseeing the crucial parliamentary polls in March, according to the official gazette issued on Saturday. The government has said the legislation will bring Zimbabwe into line with principles adopted at a summit of southern African leaders in Mauritius in August.
But the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which is threatening to boycott the upcoming elections, has dismissed the reforms as cosmetic and meaningless.
The Electoral Commission Act gives Mugabe powers to appoint members of an "independent" commission to oversee all elections and referendums, beginning with legislative polls due in March.
Mugabe will appoint the head of the commission in consultation with a judiciary services commission and four other members from a list of seven nominees submitted by parliament.