HARARE, March 10: Zimbabwe’s crucial two-day presidential elections were extended by another day when a judge ruled that thousands would be denied the right to vote if the polls were closed on Sunday night.

The dramatic decision by high court judge Ben Hlatywayo came after he and lawyers for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) flew by helicopter over the capital at dusk and saw kilometre- long queues still stretching past polling stations. Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa told the judge that he would make an urgent appeal later Sunday to the supreme court to reverse the ruling, said MDC lawyer Innocent Chagonda.

However, he said: “The judge said the order will be effective irrespective of any appeal. In the meantime, he (Chinamasa) will have to effect it.”

Polling stations around the country closed at 1900 hours (local time) but authorities said they would allow those in Harare to stay open if people still wanted to vote.

“I have been here for 19 hours and we are near the front now,” David Hasluck, director of the Commercial Farmers Union said at 2100 hours from a polling station in the Harare constituency of Marlborough. “But there are another 1,000 people behind us.”

Massive congestion occurred during the weekend following a decision to slash the number of urban polling stations.—dpa