State radio reported Thursday that Minister Eric Matinenga, an aide of Prime Ministear Morgan Tsvangirai, said President Robert Mugabe is expected to proclaim the date in a government notice on Friday.
Voting is scheduled over one day, a departure from the routine two days of polling, the radio said.
Advocacy groups say such a hasty poll prevents adequate voter education on the rewritten constitution.
It was completed on Feb. 6 after three years of disputes, bickering and delays.
Democratic reforms to the constitution were a key demand of regional mediators after violent and disputed elections in 2008.
Source: AP
Zimbabwe sets March 16 vote date
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Zimbabwe’s constitutional affairs minister says a referendum on a new constitution has been “tentatively” set for March 16 to be followed by fresh elections later to end the nation’s shaky coalition government.