Zimbabwe likely to head to polls in May or June

Zimbabwe's president says elections will be in May or June, as he faces pressure at home and abroad to deliver a credible vote to cement his legitimacy.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa took power from longtime ruler Robert Mugabe with the military's help in November.

The state-run Herald newspaper quotes him as saying "Zimbabwe is going for elections in four to five months' time" while on a visit to Mozambique.

That would be ahead of the timeframe stipulated in the constitution, which says elections should be between 23 July and 21 August.

Mnangagwa had hinted they could be held earlier.

According to Veritas, a legal think tank, the president can circumvent the constitutionally stipulated timeline only if parliament dissolves itself, necessitating early polls.

The ruling ZANU-PF party has the majority in Parliament.